Reading in the Great Hall: Seventies Style
by Prongsie123
Summary: It's 1976, the Marauders, Prewett twins, Lily Evans, Severus Snape and many more are all still teenagers, their lives and futures already planned and starting to begin, until seven books fall from the ceiling in the Great Hall, destined to change forever.
1. Is It A Bird? A Plane? No It's Painful!

**I thank you all for reading my story, please continue and I hope you enjoy! xxxxxxxx**

**P.S. I don't own anything, even in my wildest dreams could I hope to be as good of a writer than J.K Rowling... well, enjoy! **

The year was 1976, it was the height of Spring, the Marauders were running around causing mayhem, completely disregarding the fact they had OWLS in just a few short months- well, except Remus Lupin, that is. The Prewett Twins, Fabian and Gideon were actually seen working with their two other closest friends, Frank Longbottom and Benji Fenwick, since they were all set to take their NEWTS very soon.

Our story begins on a normal day, of a normal year, of the relatively normal month of May.

"James Potter! You foul, loathsome, ridiculously annoying toe-rag!" An irate red-haired girl screamed. "Can't you see I am trying to study! Come on Severus, let's get away from Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee, before we catch their stupidness!" she snarled at a boy with lank, greasy black hair beside her on the grass.

The boy she called Tweedle-dee snorted, flicking his straight, black hair out of his eyes, "Yeah right Evans. We're not the stupid ones, you are though if you hanging around with idiots like Snivellius here." Sirius Black smirked, ignoring the deep, undiluted loathing swirling within Severus Snape's onyx-coloured eyes.

"He's right you know Evans, we're not the foul ones, or the loathsome ones, or the ridiculously annoying ones, or even the toe-rags, everyone knows that those titles belong to the Slytherins!" Taunted James Potter, whilst ruffling his messy, jet-black mop.

Lily Evans swirled around, anger and dislike swirling within her emerald orbs, battling it out for dominance. "You listen to me James Potter and Sirius Black and you listen well, it is not our house that defines us but the person within the coloured clothing. If you do not understand this soon, then it will ultimately be your concreted downfall." After the last word she swirled around, grabbed Severus by the arm and pulled him away before wands were drawn.

There was a strange silence after Lily had left, which of course Sirius had to break, "Aaah, tough luck James, you didn't even get to ask her out that time." He said jauntily, trying the undo the frown lines creasing his best friends face.

"I don't get it Pads, what does she like about Snape, but hates about me? Does she even know that half of our fights with him are caused by the Slytherins?"

"Probably not Prongsie old boy, look, don't beat yourself up over it, if you two are meant to be then it will all work out in the end. Come on, let's go to dinner, I am starving, hopefully Moony and Wormtail are already there." At James' nod the two of them set of down the corridor to the Great Hall, talking about the next prank they would pull, making sure it didn't affect the seventh years or Moony, they did actually value their lives, no matter what you may think.

They were still discussing the prank twenty minutes later when they were sat down in the Great Hall, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew sat opposite them.

When the dessert arrived James heartily began to dig into the toffee cheesecake in front of him. That was when it happened.

Quick as lightning a book flew through the air, making direct impact with James Potter's face, James was so shocked by the irregular arrival of the book he fell of his seat backwards, startling the hall into laughter, Lily Evans being one of the loudest.

That is, until she was hit it the face with another book, and she too fell off her chair.

"Black!" Lily's best friend, Marlene McKinnon roared, swirling round. "Did you do this!"

"Of course not!" Sirius yelled, rising from his seat. "If I did, why would I attack Jam-" but before Sirius could finish, he too was hit in the face with another book.

Remus and Peter began to try and placate Sirius and James, whilst Marlene, Alice Prewett and Dorcas Meadows were doing the same for Lily, when a shriek erupted from the opposite side of the hall, a book, much thicker than the previous three had just smacked Narcissa Black straight in the stomach.

Blinking in surprise, Dumbledore stood up to try and calm the room down, when a book, the thickest yet, hurtled out of nowhere and lobbed itself at Dumbledore's chest. There was a startled silence after that, which was broken by a cry of shock made by Severus Snape, when a book thinner than the ones which hit Narcissa and Dumbledore, but thicker than the first two hit him on the shoulder.

The occurrence of this erased any thoughts of this prank being set up by Severus Snape from Remus' mind. Another book flew through mid-air, landed with a thud on the far end table, skidded along the width of the Slytherin table and landed softly in Regulus Black's lap. After this last book everyone waited with baited breath wondering if there were more books to come, after at least three minutes of silence Dumbledore spoke up.

"These books, thought I do not know what they are, seem to have landed in a particular order, and," he paused, and then conjured up a sheet of parchment and a quick-notes quill. (A normal one, not one like Rita Skeeter's) "I do believe we should note down this order, speak the title of your book in the order they landed, and then bring them up to the front for inspection. Mr. Potter, if you would."

James nodded and picked the book up off the ground, turning it over he gasped, there on the cover was a boy who looked just like him, but with green eyes, standing in front of the Hogwarts express.

Harry Potter? He pondered, I don't have any relatives named Harry.

"Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked.

"Oh, sorry. The name of this book is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which is strange sir, no member of my family is called Harry, not even as a nickname."

"How very peculiar." Dumbledore murmured, stroking his beard thoughtfully, wondering if Nicolas would be mentioned in the book. "Well, bring it to the front if you would Mr. Potter. Miss. Evans?"

Lily cleared her throat. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." Dumbledore's eyes widened minutely, whilst Lily took the book to the front of the hall.

Dumbledore coughed, "Mr. Black?"  
>"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Sirius frowned, who was this Harry kid? He thought, taking the book to the front.<p>

"Miss. Black?"  
>"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." She answered indignantly, still quite upset that the book had hit her at all, but she was mildly thankful it wasn't her face, she scowled the whole time she took the book to the front where Dumbledore was noting all the names of the books down in order.<p>

"The book I was hit with is called Harry Potter and the..." Dumbledore trailed of at the name, causing the students to look at him curiously. Dumbledore coughed, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." He finished. "Mr. Snape?" He called.

Severus let out a long suffering sigh, "Harry Potter and the-" Severus choked at the last part of the title his eyes widening in shock.

"Mr. Snape?" Dumbledore prompted, causing Severus to finish, "and the Half-Blood Prince." He then got up and gave the book to Dumbledore.

"Good, good, and finally, the younger Mr. Black?"

"The name of this book is, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." This time Dumbledore's eyes widened more than minutely, showing the rest of the hall he was shocked, not to mention, his mouth dropped open a little bit.

Shaking his head Dumbledore motioned Regulus forward, which he did, albeit cautiously.

Opening the first book, Dumbledore peered at it shrewdly, "Well children, it seems that these books are from the future." He said, oblivious to the gasps around the room. "Presumably about Mr. Potter's son." He continued, ignoring James' wide eyes and gaping mouth.

"Are we going to read them Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes, I think so, they were obviously sent for a reason. Now, if no one objects, I think I shall go first." Dumbledore smiled, he picked up the first book and cleared his throat.

**Chapter 1 **

**The Boy Who Lived... ** Dumbledore read calmly.

**Well, I hope you like this idea, I have had this idea on my mind a while now, and I couldn't do my other Harry Potter reading story because of it. So, I hope you enjoy and continue reading. **

**Bethan **


	2. Cue The Dursley Bashing Led By Dorcas M

**A/N: I do not own the Harry Potter universe, no matter how amazing that would be ;) So give credit where credit is due. I hope you enjoy! **

**I am so very sorry about the delay, it was unavoidable due to the fact that the only internet source I had was the internet on my phone which, even then didn't always work. **

**However, the show must go on! Also I apologise for any parts I've added that you already know about, I'm just giving the story a background and developing the characterisation of the characters. **

**(Bold= J.K.R's... **Not Bold= My work using J.K.R's characters and some I made myself.)

**Chapter 1**

**The Boy who lived **Dumbledore read.

"Who's the Boy Who Lived?" Fabian Prewett, a seventh year Gryffindor asked.

"Dunno." Benji Fenwick, also a seventh year Gryffindor shrugged, and turned back to face the headmaster.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four Privet Drive were proud to say they were perfectly normal thank you very much.**

"Dursley..." Lily Evans, a fifth year Gryffindor murmured. "Where have I heard that name before...?"

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense**

"Boooorrrinnnngggg!" Sirius, another fifth year Gryffindor sighed, laying his head down he faked large drawn out snores, earning a disdainful glare from Lily and the Slytherins, giggles from the female population and the tightening of McGonagall's lips.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.**

"What on earth, are drills?" Evan Rosier, a sixth year Slytherin drawled.

"Building tools, you nitwit." Sirius sighed, noticing the shocked looks he shrieked, "What!"

"How do _you_ know that?" Lily asked shrewdly, as if she thought he was another boy using polyjuice.

"Mr. Black is actually quite proficient in Muggle Studies Miss. Evans." The Muggle Studies teacher, Professor. Charity Burbage said coolly. "No matter how idiotic you may believe him to be." She -finished, ignoring Lily's blinks of confusion.

_If Black was so smart, _she thought, _why does he act like such an idiot most of the time?_

**He was a big beefy man with hardly and neck, although he did have a very large moustache. **

"Oooh, attractive!" Dorcas Meadows, a Gryffindor the same year as Lily, squealed sarcastically.

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck.**

"You know Lily, she sounds familiar..." Alice Prewett, another Gryffindor fifth year whispered.

**This came in very useful as she spent much of her time craning over garden fences spying on neighbours.**

"_Very _familiar." Marlene McKinnon, the final female Gryffindor fifth year murmured.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley **

"And I thought my name was bad, but imagine being called Dudley Dursley..." Said a third year Slytherin girl called Gregoris Gamp. (1)

**and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. **

"You know, I seriously doubt that." Frank Longbottom, another seventh year Gryffindor muttered.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it; they didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

"And what's wrong with Potter's?" James Potter, fifth year Gryffindor asked angrily.

"Many things." Severus Snape, a fifth year Slytherin muttered under his breath.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursleys sister,**

"If this is you Prongs, then that means you get hitched. Poor girl." Remus Lupin, not only another fifth year Gryffindor, but also the only werewolf in the school said, smirking at the pout on James' face.

**but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. **

"Okay seriously," Dorcas said under her breath to her three best friends, "This woman really sounds like your bitch of a sister Lily."

"It can't be Petunia though." Lily replied.

"Why not?" Alice asked.

"Because that means that I would have had to marry Potter, and that would never happen." Lily countered.

"You never know Lilypad, your sister swore she would never have a kid until after she was 24, she's 19 now, a lot may change in the future." Marlene said knowledgably.

"Well, for my sake, I hope you're wrong." Lily said back, but she looked worried now.

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived on the street.**

"Do it James!" Peter Pettigrew, the last and least talented Gryffindor fifth year squeaked, adoration in his eyes.

**The Dursleys knew the Potters had a small son too, but they had never even seen him, this boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"A child like what!" James roared.

Everyone, even the Slytherins were slightly angered, at least Potter's son would be a wizard, and not a...a...abnormal muggle.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the Dull grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. **

**Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work **

"Wow, this guy is just the life and soul of the party." Gideon Prewett, Fabian Prewett's twin sighed.

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his highchair.**

**None of them noticed a large tawny owl flutter past the window.**

**At half-past eight Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye but missed, because Dudley was now having a temper tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

"What? If Sirius or I had ever done that I shudder to think what would have happened." Regulus Black, a fourth year Slytherin, sneered.

"Don't Reg, you'll give me nightmares." Sirius shivered.

"**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number fours drive.**

"He's condoning that?" McGonagall asked, shocked.

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar –a cat reading a map. **

"What are you doing there Minnie?" Sirius asked.

"And how, Mr. Black, do you know it's me?" McGonagall asked with her eyebrow raised.

"Err, lucky guess?"

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen – then he jerked his head around to look again.**

**There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet drive, but there wasn't a map in sight.**

**What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back.**

"Creepy." Amelia Bones, a seventh year Hufflepuff muttered, sharing a look with her twin brother Edgar, who was on the Ravenclaw table, she was allergic to cats, and they always seemed to follow her... everywhere, she would never understand women who were so..so...obsessed with them. (2)

**As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive-no looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.**

"Erm...who says so?" Hestia Jones, a second year Hufflepuff asked.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove towards town he thought of nothing except the big order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

"This guy amazes me..." Narcissa Black, a fourth year Slytherin muttered.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else.**

**As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

**He supposed this was some new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a handful of these weirdoes close by.**

"We are _not _weirdoes!" Bartimus Crouch Junior, a fourth year Ravenclaw exclaimed.

**They were whispering excitedly about something, Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't exactly young at all; why that man had to be older than he was and wearing an emerald green cloak! The nerve of him! **

Fabian and Gideon gasped, "How dare he? Does he have no shame!" They wailed mournfully, putting on faces of mock pain, amidst laughter from the rest of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

**But then it struck Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt – These people were obviously collecting for something...yes that would be it. **

"...Does he mean like...fund-raising?" Rabastan Lestrange a Slytherin seventh year asked, warily.

"Yes, Mr. Lestrange, for charities which are usually for people or animals, with no home and little hope in their lives. The fund-raisers go out to try and collect money to make their lives a better place." Said Professor. Burbage.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived into the Grunnings car park, his mind was back on Drills.**

Snores came from Sirius, whose head was back on the table.

**Mr. Dursley sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might've found it harder to concentrate on Drills that morning.**

"The horror!" Sirius wailed, although it was rather muffled, since his head was still on the table.

**He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.**

"Err... why?" Piped Peter Pettigrew. Dumbledore ignored his question and carried on reading.

**Most of them had never even seen an owl at night-time. **

"Oh." Peter squeaked, blushing.

**Mr. Dursley however, had a perfectly normal, owl free morning. **

Sirius' snores increased in volume, only decreasing after a sharp jab in the ribs from James, who was noticing that McGonagall's tolerance rate was reaching its limit.

**He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"Oh how fascinating." Narcissa drawled, sarcastically.

**He was in a very good mood until lunch-time when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakers opposite. **

**He'd forgotten all about people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the bakers. He eyed them angrily as he passed. **

"For the love of- What did they do to you!" Benji cried, annoyance for this man overriding his normal sense of decorum.

**He didn't know why but hey made him uneasy. This lot were whispering excitedly too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on the way back past him that that he caught a few words of what they were saying**

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard-"**

At the use of the word Potters, as in plural, James looked over towards Lily (whose attention was fully on the book) longingly. What he wouldn't give to have her as his wife.

**-yes their son Harry-'**

"What about my son?" James asked, snapping his attention away from the beautiful red head three seats down.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. **

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, and seized his telephone. And had almost finished dialling his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache thinking...**

"The horror!" Bert Macmillan, a sixth year snickered from the Hufflepuff table. (3) (4)

**No, he was being stupid**

"Really?" Bert's friend Vanessa Hope, also a sixth year, giggled from her place on Bert's right. (5)

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry.**

"He doesn't even know his own nephew's name? Name's are powerful things, that if underestimated can be easily used to take advantaged with." Horace Slughorn, the potions professor and head of Slytherin house said knowledgably. (6)

**Come to think of it he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. **

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might've been Harvey. Or Harold. **

"Erm, no offence to anyone who is called Harvey, or Harold but I would _never_ call my kid that. Not only because I don't like the names, but this guy would kill me for naming my kid such crappy names." James said, jerking his thumb at Sirius, who had yet to lift his head from the dining table, but still waved his fist in the general direction of James, narrowly missing his friends glasses.

"It's okay, after nine months of wishing my friends would give me a nickname better than Arv, or to stop calling me Harvey altogether, I've learnt to not get offended about my name...since I'm usually the one calling it." said a bold first year muggleborn, named Harvey Butterfield, his other Ravenclaw friends blushed at the attention drawn towards them. (7)

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley. She always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her – if had a sister like that... **

"A sister like what!" James exclaimed.

"Potter! She's not your wife yet!" Severus yelled from across the room. "Get offended later on when you actually _know_ who she is!"

When James went to yell back a (most likely insulting) retort, Remus reached over the table and covered his mouth with his hand.

"'oony, 'at 'oo 'oo 'at 'or!" (8)

"I did that Prongs because I know both you and the rest of the Great Hall would like to continue with the book without yours and Snape's pointless acts of drama."

"O'ay, 'an 'oo 'et 'ee 'o 'eease?" (9)

"Certainly." And with James request Remus removed his hand and Dumbledore continued reading.

**but all the same, those people in cloaks...He found it a lot harder to concentrate on Drills that morning**

Sirius lifted his head of the table and sniffed the air. "Is that what I think it is!" He exclaimed, happily. "Is that the scent of a more interesting book! I think it is, Prongsie-boy, I was afraid your kid would be a boring rule abiding fuddy-duddy!"

**And when he'd left the building at five o clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

Dorcas gasped. "He could kill someone doing things like that, what with his girth!"

"**Sorry," He grunted as the tiny man stumbled and almost fell.**

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground**

"Why on earth not?" said Mary Macdonald, a sixth year Gryffindor. (10)

**On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that mad passersby stare: "don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice!**

"Do you think this could be you Professor. Flitwick?" Asked an amused fifth year Ravenclaw named Dana Cumal. (11)

"I wonder if you are right Miss. Cumal, yet I highly doubt it, I mean, what are the chances?" Fltwick chuckled.

**For You-know-who has gone at last!**

Plenty of jaws dropped around the room.

"Wanna read that part again Professor?" Marlene requested, faintly. Dumbledore did so and the room broke out into cheers, most people were smiling and laughing and exclaiming joyfully. They were finally free!

The only people not outwardly celebrating was the Slytherin's, although some of them wanted to, they couldn't risk losing face right now, who knew when the Dark Lord would finally be vanquished. They needed to be very, very careful. Some of them, however, were outraged, where was the Dark Lord? Had he not sworn to not leave until every filthy muggle and mudblood was vanquished? What on earth happens in the future?

**Even muggles like yourself should be celebrating this happy, happy day!"**

"I'm afraid that it is defiantly not me, Miss. Cumal, I would never say such things to a muggle that would be a breach to the statue of secrecy." Flitwick frowned, thinking, You-Know-Who may be gone, but it would do no good to be discovered now.

**And the old man hugged him around the middle**

"He fit?" Oscar Pelles, a third year Hufflepuff asked, incredulously. (12)

**and walked off. Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle. Whatever that was. He was rattled. **

"Aw, poor baby." Dorcas taunted, she really despised this man, and she could not even fathom the reason why she disliked him so.

**He hurried to his car and set off home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never done before.**

"...But didn't he say he didn't approve of imagination, earlier in the chapter?" Alice asked quietly.

**As He pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he noticed saw – and it didn't improve his mood – was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.**

"Seriously Minnie, what are you still doing there?" James asked, grinning.

"Mr. Potter, where is yours and Mr. Black's proof that that Tabby is in fact me?"

"It'll come Professor, don't worry." Sirius smirked.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. It had the same markings around its eyes.**

"Proof piece number 1!" James exclaimed, still grinning like a loon.

"**Shoo!" Mr. Dursley said loudly.**

"Oh no he did not just 'Shoo' McGonagall!" Remus cried, smiling.

"Mr. Lupin! You too?" McGonagall lamented.

"You have to admit Professor, there is too much proof for it to be a coincidence." Remus smiled.

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. **

"Proof piece number 2!" Sirius laughed.

**Was this normal cat behaviour, Mr. Dursley wondered?**

"Sort of, I always though cats had more attitude than dogs." Lily grinned.

The change in Sirius was immediate, "Don't you go insulting dogs now Evans, they are much better than cats- no offence Minnie- isn't that right guys?" he prompted, to which James, Remus and Peter instantly nodded.

Lily looked at them curiously, "Why are you so protective over dogs Black?"

The Marauders eyes widened, "No reason." Remus smiled, disarmingly. And they all turned back to Dumbledore, ideas still racing Lily's head as she stared contemplatively at the Marauders. (13)

**Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

One of the younger Gryffindor's made a whipping noise, to snorts from his peers.

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learnt a new word (Shan't).**

"Wow, you must be so proud to have such a proud, arrogant brat." Narcissa drawled. (14)

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living-room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. **

"Fools!" Rabastan yelled, "They're going to get us discovered, even _if_the Dark Lord is gone." Everyone looked slightly worried about what that would mean, would it be like the olden days, witch burnings and many innocents dying, for no reason.

**Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The news reader allowed himself a grin.**

"Why what does he know?" Vanessa asked, her eyebrows raised.

**"Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

"Haha, very witty." Regulus snarked.

**"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, **

"Ted?" Sirius grinned.

"Yes, Mr. Black it says Ted." Dumbledore replied, eyebrow raised.

"I know what he knows, he's a muggle-born."

"Really? And how would you know him Black?" Lily asked, slightly shocked.

"He's my cousin Andromeda's husband. He took on a muggle job to help pay for the bills."

"Can't your cousin work?" Lily asked again.

"She would, but she has her two year old daughter, Nymphadora to look after." Sirius grinned.

"Can't she just leave her with a babysitter?"

"She would, but Nymphie, is a metamorphmagus and is clumsy as hell. Not to mention she is good at getting in trouble."

James snorted. That, is an understatement. He thought.

Narcissa's mind was racing in shock; Sirius was keeping in contact with Andy? She was an aunt? She was a metamorphmagus? ...What kind of name was Nymphadora?

Little did she know Regulus was thinking along the same lines; except the aunt part, obviously.

**"I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain that I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! **

"Okay, now that is ridiculous!" McGonagall exclaimed, amidst nods from her colleagues, and quite a few students.

**Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early- It's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters... **

"Oh god, if that idiot is putting things together, then we _are _doomed!" Dorcas wailed dramatically, jokily collapsing on her boyfriend, Fabian Prewett. (15)

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living-room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously.**

"**Err - Petunia, Dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

"What!" Lily squeaked. Everyone looked at her in shock.

"Something you would like to share Miss. Evans?" Professor Vector, the Arithmancy teacher.

"No, no, nothing at all." Lily said, shaking her head. She looked at her friends with wide eyes, who mirrored the look right back at her, not one of them noticed Severus' expression from across the hall, it was the expression of a man who's heart was broken by betrayal, and it was the face of a man who feels like the whole world had come crashing down around him.

**As he expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

"Defiantly your sister." Marlene whispered to her best friend.

"Although it should be _you _who should be ashamed to related to that, that, bitch!" Dorcas exclaimed, quietly so no one could hear her.

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... Shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..." **

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

**"Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her lot."**

"Her lot? Her lot! What on earth is _that_ supposed to mean!" Barty exclaimed, angrily.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name 'Potter'. He decided he didn't dare.**

"Chicken!" Remus cried.

"Mr. Lupin!" McGonagall exclaimed, shocked.

"What? I'm kinda getting into this story.

**Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now wouldn't he?" **

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly."What's his name again? Howard isn't it?"**

"Ewwwwwww!" Sirius shuddered. "James if you named your kid Howard I would kill you!"

"Okay Padfoot! Cool it!" James laughed.

**"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"Well isn't it such a good job no one asked you!" Fabian yelled, winding his arm around his girlfriend's waist.

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it was waiting for something. Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it. **

"I don't think I can stand to be related to you either." James sneered, slightly disgusted with this man.

**The Dursleys got into bed. **

"Ewwww!" A lot of girls squealed, and then they all collapsed in fits of giggles.

**Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. **

Gideon let out a shocked gasp. "He...has...a...mind! You lie!" he exclaimed, making everyone around him laugh.

**His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley.**

"Precisely." Sirius smirked, "Glad that we are finally on the same page."

**The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on. He yawned and turned over. It couldn't affect them...How very wrong he was.**

"What? No!" Remus cried. "For once I'd like Dursley to be right!" He wailed, laughing when Dorcas asked for a high five for insulting Vernon.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. **

"Okay. That is so McGonagall." Frank laughed.

**It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed in the next street, nor when the two owls swooped overhead.**

**In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all. A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground.**

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Who was it? A death eater? A member of the light?

**The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. **

"Oh Merlin, even you can't say that that isn't you McGonagall!" Benji laughed.

**Nothing like this man had been seen in Privet Drive. He was tall, thin and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.**

"Dumbledore." The room sighed, seeming as if the very walls of Hogwarts were whispering.

**He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak which swept the ground and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.**

"Have I mentioned before how strange you fashion sense is outstandingly abysmal, but funky?" Sirius grinned at the old headmaster, who chucked.

"I believe you have not Mr. Black, however Mr. Potter has." Dumbledore smiled.

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realise that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realise he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

"Alright, I concede your point Mr. Black, the likelihood of you being right is to great now to diffuse. Let us read and see." McGonagall sighed.

**He had found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Awesome sir!" Harvey yelled, joyfully. "Where did you get it?"

"Actually Mr. Butterfield, it is a creation of my own design, I call it a Deluminator."

The students looked at their Headmaster with new awe in their eyes.

**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left in the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him.**

"That is slightly creepy Professor." Bert said, slightly sheepishly.

**If anyone looked out of their window now, even the beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street towards number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it."Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Yay! I was riiiiiiiggghhhhtttt!" Sirius exclaimed joyfully.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

"Emerald cloak, Professor? You traitor!" James wailed dramatically, drawing titters from across the hall, as well as a first-class glare from Professor McGonagall.

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

**"You'd be stiff too if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

"McGonagall? Party?" Dana asked. "You're joking right?"

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful,but no - even the Muggles noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"I remember Dedalus, he was a sixth year Hufflepuff when we were in first, right?" Alice asked, leaning her back on Frank's chest, since he was straddling the bench.

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"So this happens in six years" Marlene asked, obviously. "That makes us 21. Wow, its weird thinking about myself at an age like that."

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes swapping rumours."**

"Exactly!" Rabastan exclaimed angrily, still overwhelmed with the stupidity of those witches and wizards.

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on: "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

Everyone seemed to lean closer to Dumbledore subconsciously, breaking Dumbledore's heart, they were all just children, they weren't supposed to have to deal with a war on such a great magnitude as this.

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"**

Everyone raised an eyebrow at Dumbledore, truly wondering if he had all his marbles.

"**A what?"**

**"A sherbet lemon. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for sherbet lemons.**

Dumbledore looked affronted. "It is _always _time for a sherbet lemon."

**"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like your self can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort". Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was un-sticking two sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice.**

"I completely agreed Professor." James said solemnly, causing Lily to look closer at the bane of her existence. He wasn't bad to look at, and he seemed to be truly loyal and brave. He was just too arrogant and big-headed, if he toned that down...a lot, then he would be fine.

**"It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

"Neither have I Professor, it's probably not even his real name." Sirius scoffed.

"Indeed you are correct Mr. Black, Voldemort is not in fact his birth name, his real name however, I believe I should not tell you yet, I have a feeling it is of great importance to the plot." Dumbledore smiled.

**"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half-exasperated, half-admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the one You-Know - oh, all right, Voldemort -was frightened of"**

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"Not true." Alice said defiantly. "Not only are you too noble to use them, but Voldemort doesn't have powers you don't he is just more willing and less humane than you are, since he will stop at nothing to achieve his goals."

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss. Prewett." Dumbledore smiled, causing Alice to flush with embarrassment.

**"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."**

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

"Ewwwwwwwwwww!" This time the boys shuddered, whilst the girls cooed, well most of them did, Dorcas, Marlene and a few other girls were with the boys, cringing the whole way.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing to the rumours that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared?** **About what finally stopped him?"**

Not one person made a sound, it seemed as though the whole room was holding a collective breath.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now.**

It was a testament to how serious the tension in the room was at that point, that the Marauders made no comment on how they had seen that look way to often, and they were very familiar with it.

**It was plain that whatever 'everyone' was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another sherbet lemon and did not answer.**

Someone at the back of the Great Hall snorted at the actions of the headmaster, but then was subsequently glared at and was distinctly cowed.

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up**. **In Godric's Hollow. **

Dumbledore's eyes widened. Why his home town?

**He went to find the Potters.**

Sirius and Remus sent worried looks at their best friend. As did most of the people in the hall, James however just stared at the headmaster, unwilling to show how worried he truly was.

**The rumour is that Lily and James Potter, **

"So you do date me after all Evans." James said weakly, not wishing to draw out the fiery ire within the red-haired witch.

"I guess so Potter, I knew it a while ago. Petunia is my older sister by four years." Lily answered softly, knowing that whatever the book said next would not be good news. Making a split second decision she got up and sat next to James, ignoring his surprised look she grasped his hand tightly, putting on a grave face whilst James clutched her hand like a lifeline. Nobody in the hall, neither James nor Lily noticed the look of pure hatred Severus Snape sent at James Potter.

**Are - are - that they're – dead**

Lily and James bowed their heads, tears leaking from both their eyes, whilst the hall exploded around them. Neither let go of the others hands, choosing to grip onto the one person in the hall who truly understood what they were feeling. When they looked up, it was to chaos. Marlene, Dorcas and Alice had tears streaming down their faces, not to mention a fair few other girls in the hall. McGonagall, Slughorn and Hagrid were wiping their eyes on napkins or in Hagrid's case- the tablecloth. Remus had tears glistening in the corners of his eyes, but it was Sirius' reaction that tore at Lily and James the most, it was the look of complete and utter agony, one that tore through Sirius so fiercely it left him winded, his lifeline, his best friend, James would die. No, impossible, he wouldn't let James go, or even Evans for that matter. Sirius was stirred from his musings when Lily- using the hand that wasn't clutching James- reached over and squeezed his arm.

When Sirius looked up Lily said, "I know you and I don't get along Black... no Sirius, I know we never have, but I understand how much you truly cared for Potter... James, and I promise you, now we know the future, we will try to stop it. For all our sakes, okay? Not all the hope is gone yet. Also, could you possibly come and comfort Marley? Both Alice, Dorcas and I have someone to comfort us, but Marley has no one." When she finished, Sirius nodded his head and moved over to Marlene, standing her up, he moved her in between himself and James on the bench, and then he allowed her to pour out the rest of her tears of sorrow onto his chest, whilst he wrapped his arms around her. Making a desicion he leant down and buried his head in her neck, allowing tears to escape his eyes onto one of the few people in the hall who would not judge him for crying, sensing he needed comfort Marlene wound her arms around his neck, pulling him tighter to her, while still crying on his chest. Lily leaned her head on James' chest and discreetly wiped her eyes, she turned her attention back to the headmaster, without turning her head, Dumbledore was looking over all of them with a mournful look of his aged, lined face.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..."**

"Never knew you cared Professor." James chuckled weakly. McGonagall granted his a watery smile for his efforts.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know ... I know ..." he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry.**

"No!" Lily exclaimed. "Not my baby!" Although she may have been against being with Potter at the beginning of the day, the news of his impeding death had caused him to act a little more subdued and mature. Even so Lily had always wanted children, she thought they were precious bundles of joy and the thought of hers getting hurt was more than she could bear. James, noticing Lily's distress let go of her hand, and ignoring her little cry of protest, wrapped his arms around her.

Whispering in her ear, he said. "She said tried to, not killed, its fine, he's safe, he's alive." He repeated these words like a mantra until, trying to convince both himself and Lily until she calmed down.

**"But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy.**

Knowing it and hearing it were two very different things Lily learned, as she breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling James do the same thing next to her she smiled in thanks to the fact James thought to comfort her instead of focussing on himself first.

**No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone."**

The silence in the Great Hall was deafening.

Sirius broke the silence with a well place comment, "Jamie, I'm sorry to say but your son is soooo much cooler than you right now." Although the comment was slightly muffled as Sirius' face was still buried within Marlene's shoulder

**Dumbledore nodded glumly."It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done ... all the people he's killed ... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding ... of all the things to stop him ... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

The silence within the hall was deafening, everyone wanted to know the reason for the downfall of their enemy/master.

"**We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took out a watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle.**

"What! No!" Lily cried. "You can't do that, my sister, she hates magic, she'll bully him!"

The Slytherin's were outraged, regardless of the fact the child was a half-blood he was still more magical than the filthy muggles, and the thought of any magical child being mistreated was horrific.

"I hope, for her sake Ev- Lily, she doesn't lay one finger on my godson." Sirius said angrily, finally lifting his head from Marlene's shoulder and wiping his face of any remnants of tears.

**They're the only family he has left now."**

"Where are we?" Remus cried.

"We might be dead Lu- Remus." Dorcas said quietly, causing their part of the table to become deathly silent.

**You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't.**

"Yes! Listen to Minnie!" Gideon cried.

**I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets.**

"Prat." Fabian muttered, his arms still wrapped around his girlfriend.

**Harry Potter come and live here!"**

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"A letter?" Benji replied hollowly. "Now I know it's true, Dumbledore really is off his rocker."

"I have a question," Frank said. "Why have you written a letter? Are you not going to speak to the Dursley's? Where are you going to leave him?"

"That is a fair question Albus." Slughorn mused.

"And I'm sure the book will answer for us Horace." Dumbledore replied.

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in future - there will be books written about Harry -every child in our world will know his name!"**

"Perfect, just what we need, a Potter that is extremely arrogant and famous." Severus muttered.

"You don't know if he'll be arrogant yet Severus." Narcissa chided.

"He's a Potter." Severus stated, as if that was reason enough.

"Yes, but he's also half Evans." Regulus commented airily. "You never know he may be more like his mother." Severus grumbled, but even though him mind had not changed he kept his mouth shut.

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"Although I don't agree with what Dumbledore is doing, I do agree with that point. A famous child of James Charlus Potter... the arrogance would know no bounds." Amelia smirked. (16)

"Oh shut up Millie." James blushed, pinching the giggling witch in his arms to get her to cease teasing him

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here Dumbledore?"**

**She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

"**You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"Oy!" Hagrid exclaimed, slightly offended.

**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"Aww, shucks." Hagrid blushed.

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?" **

"What was what?" Lily asked, slightly hysterical. "Death Eater? Dismembered soul of Voldemort come to extract revenge upon my baby!" Lily ignored the shocked looks of those around her.

Marlene shook her head at her friend. "No more sugar for you Ladybug."

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorbike fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"Awesome!" James exclaimed gleefully.

"No." Lily said.

"What? What do you mean by no, Lily?"

"You can't have one."

"But Liiiiillllyyy!"

"You will accept that you can't have one James Potter or so help me I will go over there and sit with Remus!"

"...okay..." James pouted.

**If the motorbike was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide.**

"Hagrid!" Harvey yelled happily, ignorant of the disgusted muttering of most of the Slytherin table.

**He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of dustbin lids and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets. **

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorbike?"**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorbike as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it me.**

The largest grin spread across Sirius' face. "Awesome!"

"Paddy, my dearest Marauder, you are going to let you dearest friend Mr. Prongs have a ride upon said flying motorcycle, yes?"

"Of course Mr. Prongs, what are friends for?" Sirius smirked, silently laughing at the pissed off expression Lily wore, since James didn't own the motorbike she couldn't yell at him.

**I've got him, sir."**

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed**

Lily whimpered and pressed harder into James' shirt.

**But I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we were flyin' over Bristol."**

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. **

All the maternal women in the hall cooed.

**Under a tuft of jet-black hairover his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"Crap, he has James' hair." Remus muttered, purposefully ignoring the motherly expression on Lily's face.

**"Is that where - ?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever"**

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."**

"Do you really sir?" Oscar asked inquisitively.

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned towards the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I - could I say goodbye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid.**

**He bent his great shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.**

"Aww, Hagrid, aren't you sweet?" Lily said, with a watery smile.

**Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall. "You'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

"Thanks Hagrid." James smiled sadly.

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out...**

The twinkle was missing from the 1976 Dumbledore's eyes as well.

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"Wait... you left my son, on a doorstep!" James yelled, his face becoming white with rage.

"What?" Lily exclaimed, obviously having missed that part.

"How dare you Dumbledore!" James yelled, though tightening his arms around Lily as she attempted to get up and punch the headmaster on the nose.

"I thought you were supposed to be wise, old man!" Lily cried, struggling to break free from James' clutches.

"James, Lily I wholeheartedly apologise but these are the actions of my future self I have no control over them." The slightly scared man replied, the reason for his fear was that all the women in the hall and most of the men were glaring at him, including Minerva, who was terrifying.

After Lily and James had both been calmed down by their equally irate friends, Dumbledore continued in a more subdued voice.

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice. "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself on to the motorbike and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

"Woop." Sirius muttered so lowly only Marlene could hear.

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street.**

**He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four."Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak he was gone.**

"I'm still angry at you Dumbledore." Lily muttered to the wizened headmaster.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, **

Cue female cooing.

**not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles,**

"Drama Queen." Dorcas muttered.

**nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley ...**

"Hands of him you fat ball of... of... FAT!" Peter squeaked, looking pleased with his insult.

**He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

_**A/N: Did anyone see the little numbers in brackets? **_

_**Here's what they all mean:**_

_**Gregoris Gamp is a made up character, the name Gamp is a real pure-blood family from the world of Harry Potter since Hester Gamp was Sirius Black III's paternal Great-Grandmother. The name Gregoris however was a cross between Gregory Goyle's name and Sirius Black III's paternal Great Aunt, Lycoris Black's name, she was the sister of his grandfather, Arcturus Black II. **_

_**Did anyone get my little snub at Dolores Umbridge? *wink wink* I don't hate cats, in fact I own two, a girl whose almost as old as I am called Pinky-Rose and a boy who was born this past October called Magic. Not only those two but there is this stray who comes around to my house and has a crush on Pinky and likes scrapping with Magic, I occasionally feed him and I have named him, Mr. Scrugglemuffin... personally his name is my favourite since my sister Harriet picked both Pinky and Magic's names...i have recently found out Mr. Scrugglemuffin is a girl... crap ;)**_

_***Nudge Nudge* Bert and Ernie, like in Sesame Street? ;)**_

_**I have named Ernie Macmillan's dad Bert, short for Bertram, purely for the above reason. **_

_**Vanessa Hope is (in this story) Hannah Abbot's mother, as I am lead to believe, Hannah Abbot's father is a muggle, meaning his last name didn't appear at Hogwarts until Hannah herself. Hannah's mother however was defiantly a witch, since Hannah Abbot was not a muggleborn. Both the forename and surname are completely made up, I literally plucked them from the air.**_

_**Anyone notice my little hint into the Deathly Hallows, Voldemort name, 'Taboo'? I hope you did, that would make you, awesome! ;)**_

_**I've made up Harvery Butterfield, not entirely sure where the name 'Butterfield' came from either, but hey, whatever works.**_

_**Translated from Muffled-speak to English it means, "Moony! What you do that for!"**_

_**The same as above but this time it means. "Okay, can you let me go please?"**_

_**Mary Macdonald is a real character in the Harry Potter Series, she appears in the seventh book, during Snape's Memories. It is, however unknown, what year she is in, and what she looks like. All we know is that she is an acquaintance of Lily Evans, which also doesn't give us any indication to her age, either she is older or around a year younger, since Harry Potter is acquaintances with Lee Jordan, whom is two years older than Harry, and Oliver Wood who is four years older, but he also talks to Luna Lovegood, who is a year younger. So I made a guess and hopes it makes sense. **_

_**Dana Cumal is a completely made up name. I was trying to think up a name for some characters, because if I stick to the main ones it gets boring after a while, but anyway, I leafed through a book on Celtic Mythology my dad got me and found those two names, and decided to use them.**_

_**It is the exact same as above for Oscar Pelles, both names are out of a Celtic Mythology book. **_

_**I always liked to think that the animagus idea was Sirius' then at the end of fourth year James became a Stag first, Sirius becoming a dog a week later. Finally after a summer of contemplation, Peter finally becomes a rat at the beginning of fifth year.**_

_**Well Narcissa, are you proud? ;) Although, I really do love Draco, lots and lots ;) I always though Narcissa would be the more grounded of the Black sisters. Bellatrix was insane and a violent, active pure-blood supremacist, whereas Andromeda was the sneaky, cunning, rebellious in silence one, whom was caring as well. Narcissa, I believed had to be the equilibrium to these two, she had to be caring, yet haughty. How else would Draco have a conscience? Lucius? I don't think so...Although I love him as well :P**_

_**I like to think that all of Lily's group of friends found somebody before they all died... or became insane. Lily will eventually marry James, whilst Sirius will finally get Marlene to date him, Alice is dating Frank Longbottom at the moment of this story and they will eventually marry. Dorcas however I like to believe dated Fabian Prewett and they were engaged. When she was killed, Fabian was heartbroken and I think that after fighting for his life he was the first to give up, wanting to be with his love in the afterlife, knowing that his twin brother would soon follow him, and because of this Fabian Prewett was a hero, since he was not afraid of death. Btw this is all just my interpretation of things, I have completely made up this storyline. **_

_**I like to think that some of the 'light' pureblood families would let they're kids play together as well, since Draco Malfoy obviously knew Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle before Hogwarts. So I have decided that James Potter, Amelia and Edgar Bones and perhaps a few others, played together as kids. Hence why Amelia knows James' middle name. Which is after, Charlus Potter, husband to Dorea Potter nee Black and father to one son, who I like to believe is James. **_

**Thanks again for reading my story, I hope you enjoyed it. I hope I have improved on my characters reactions, but hey, I'm not perfect. **

**Prongsie123**__


	3. Everyone is so Proud of You Harry!

**I am going to try and update more frequently, but I advise you don't hold your breath :P Haha. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far, thank you for those who have put this story under Story Alert and on your favourites list. **

**Also I got onto Pottermore! I'm now known as StoneDraconis20473! I'm also Slytherin, my wand is rowan, 10 and a quarter inches, with a dragon heartstring core, and it is surprisingly swishy. **

**Anywho, this chapter has a bit of a mixture of real and fake Harry Potter history at the beginning so, without further ado, enjoy! :P **

"I do believe a short recess is necessary for the affected members of the hall to regain their bearings with themselves and the people around them. We will recommence reading in one hour. Thank You." Dumbledore spoke to the silent room after closing the book. It was almost as if a dam of bees had broken as the hum of conversation slowly filled the air once more.

However, at one end of the Gryffindor table nobody was moving, nobody was talking, nobody was thinking past the deaths they had heard about just moments prior.

"Do you think it's worth it?" Marlene voiced, breaking the overwhelming stillness and drawing the group's attention to herself.

"Was what worth it?" Benji asked puzzled.

"In some ways yes, it was worth it." Dorcas said quietly.

"But in the way that matters most, no. The death of James and Evan-...Lily was not worth it. Vanished Dark Lord or not." Sirius emotionlessly stated, ignorant of the way Frank's, Benji's, Fabian's, Gideon's and Peter's eyes widened with understanding.

Lily unwound herself from James' arms and walked out of the Great Hall, while he looked after her forlornly, his arms feeling strangely empty without her residing in them.

"Go after her James." Alice said, smiling softly.

"She wants to be alone; she doesn't want me near her... She hates me..." He replied sadly.

"No, I don't think so. When she found out the two of you had baby Harry she reacted calmly and accepted it without much complaint. However, she still has her pride and after all these years of rejecting you, she's not going to be the one to come to you, she values her pride to much, it is the sin she leans most heavily on. Go after her James, we only have an hour after all."

James nodded and made his way out of the hall.

"Hey." He said, sitting down on the floor of the corridor, outside the Great Hall beside her.

"Oh, hello." Lily replied, an obviously fake smile plastered on her face.

"You alright?"

"Sure, sure. I'm perfect!"

"You don't seem it. Come on, tell me what's wrong."

"...Sometimes I hate being a girl...Men can't seem to comprehend more than two emotions at a time, whereas women drown in them." She took a deep breath. "Firstly, I feel happy because, being a mother... it was...it is all I had ever wanted. When I was a kid I used to have these muggle dolls to play with, which I would then dress up in cute little outfits; those times were amongst the highlights of my youth. I used have a little girl doll who I called Lorraine and a little boy... I named him Harry... and they went everywhere with me, my room, my school at show and tell, the supermarket whilst in their pram, the park, everywhere! If I could've, I would have taken them to school with me on normal days."

"So what happened?"

"The same thing that happens to all girls- I grew up. Stopped needing them so often, until eventually they got put in a box and taken up to the attic. And then one holiday whilst I was staying at my Grandparents house my parents had a car-boot sale, and Little Harry and Lorraine got sold for seventy pence each...I was ten, I've never forgiven myself." She pushed a strand of red hair behind her ear. "I'm also jealous because my sister gets to raise my baby while I'm six feet under and she'll probably never tell him about me, about you, about my friends, about yours. Even though I'd raise her baby to the best of my ability if we were ever in opposite situations."

Lily slumped to the side, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"But most of all... most of all I'm terrified. Six years from now I'm married and a mother. It's almost everything I ever wanted from life. But now I know that I die regardless, I'm starting to fear for the future of my friends, of your friends, of the life Harry will now lead. But most of all, I'm terrified that when the time comes I'll make the wrong choice, and the family unit of James, Lily and Harry Potter will never happen. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing anymore."

There was silence in the corridor before James broke it with a seemingly random question.

"You always used to ask why I hate Slytherins, right?"

"What? Yeah, why?"

"Do you still wanna know?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Not many people know but my mother was a Black before she married my dad, she was a Slytherin, pure blooded and renowned to be a cold hearted bitch. When she married my dad, Dorea Black just faded into the woodwork; nobody ever made the connection between the seemingly cold-hearted and cruel Slytherin that was Dorea Black and the sweet, kind heart-warming woman that Dorea Potter is. And it was because of my mum that I hated Slytherins you know?"

"You hate your mum?"

"No, I hate what they did to my mum. She was a Black, they were expected to be perfect, but my Uncle Marius, was not. He was older than my mother by two years, they were inseparable. However, when my mum was six, things started to go very, very wrong. Marius, who was already eight, had not shown a single ounce of magic. And fearing the worst my mother's father, my grandfather started to torture him. The Cruciatus. Trying to force the magic out of him, nothing worked. My mum was the only one who cared about Marius' health, she tried to get my grandfather to stop, but he'd beat her into submission until the next time he attacked my Uncle. Marius eventually told my mum to stop putting herself at risk, and if she did so again he would never forgive her. So she lay off, stood back and let them torture her favourite brother. My mother had two other siblings as well, both older than Marius. There was my Aunt Cassiopeia, who was five years older than my mother, she didn't care that Marius was getting tortured, she cared for my mother but she was fully accepting of the whole pure blood propaganda. However my Uncle Pollux, who was also Sirius' maternal grandfather was sympathetic."

"Wait! _Maternal _grandfather?"

"Yeah, Sirius' mother and father are second cousins. Anyway, Uncle Pollux was eight years older than my mother and being fourteen was able to get Marius and my mother healing equipment to help, but when they were caught they were forced to take the blame. After they had been caught for the fourth time my grandfather, Cygnus, went too far and started to beat Marius with his bare hands. After he had finally calmed down, he tried to reawaken his youngest son, but Marius wouldn't wake up. He had killed his eight year old son, whilst his six year old daughter stood right next to him, frozen in fear, forced to watch the punishment that was inflicted on her brother."

Lily gasped.

"Yeah, they covered it up though. Said Marius was diagnosed with Spattergroit and-"

"Wait, Spatter-what?"

"Spattergroit. It's a wizarding disease which is potentially fatal, but is however highly contagious. Three of the main symptoms are the inability to talk, unusual fatigue and purple pustules growing upon the victim's face." At Lily's disgusted face he ploughed on. "Because of Marius' inability to produce magic, Cygnus and my grandmother, Violetta had kept him inside the house, terrified that someone other than the Blacks would find out Marius' secret. They used this as ruse, saying that they wished to spend his last moments on earth together with him, playing the part of the doting parents. The rest was easy, a simple glamour to cover the bruises and a charm to make it seem like there were purple sores all over his face." James inhaled heavily, took of his glasses and rubbed a hand down his face. "I bet you're wondering what this has to do with what you've just told me, right?"

"A little."

"It's because it's in the past. My past is of a Slytherin-hating Gryffindor with Slytherin roots. Yours is of a childhood fantasy broken by the necessary outcome of growing up. Even though our pasts are different they are still similar in the fact that they are in the past and can't be changed. Growing up I was lonely, I had no siblings or cousins my age, my only cousins were all a lot older than me. Who are Sirius' mother, Walburga and her brothers; Alphard and Cygnus. And although they had their own children my mother didn't want me to play with them in case they were like the Blacks she knew from her youth. She didn't know what Sirius, Regulus, Narcissa, Andromeda and Bellatrix were like, and she didn't want me to find out until I was old enough to make that decision on my own. And because of this my childhood was lonely with only my parents and house elves for company. However, I'm not lonely anymore since I now have friends whom I would die for, regardless of my past, my present and future are my own to mould... Do you understand what I'm trying to get at?"

"Kind of, are you trying to tell me that even though the past has gone and can't be changed it still shapes our inevitable future... right?"

"...Well, that sounds a lot better than what I was getting but yeah, I guess." James laughed.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Shall we get back?"

"Only if you're alright now." At Lily's nod James stood up and reached a hand down to the girl on the floor. Lily took his hand and let herself be pulled up. When she was standing she didn't let go of his hand, and together they headed back to the Great Hall.

"Is everybody here now? Good, good now then, perhaps you would like to read Minerva?" Dumbledore said calmly. At McGonagall's nod he handed the book over to the transfiguration professor, whom opened the book at the correct page, cleared her throat and began to read.

**Chapter two- The Vanishing Glass**

**Nearly ten years had past since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but privet drive had hardly changed at all.**

"How utterly drone like." Consuelo McNeeley, a fifth year hufflepuff murmured.

**The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. **

"How depressing." Serenity Chambers, a fourth year hufflepuff said.

**Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different coloured bobble hats** **- but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on the roundabout at the fair, playing games with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother.**

"I would say 'poor kid' but I have a feeling he is gonna be an arse in this story." Robert Booth, a second year ravenclaw muttered, rolling his eyes.

**The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house too.**

"Hopefully, he left." Dorcas muttered, bitterly.

**Yet Harry potter was still there,** **asleep at the moment, but not for long. His aunt petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice which made the first noise of the day.**

'**Up, Get up! Now!'**

"Poor Harry, Petunia's voice is like nails on a blackboard." Marlene muttered, her arms no longer around Sirius' neck but instead his waist, she was also firmly ignoring the glares coming from the girls in Sirius' fan club.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again. 'Up' she screeched. Harry heard her walking towards the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the cooker. He rolled on to his back and tried to remember the dream he had being having. It had being a good one. There had being a flying motorbike in it he had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"He remembers my bike!" Sirius cried gleefully, his arms tight around Marlene's waist.

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

'**Are you up yet?' she demanded. 'Nearly,' said Harry." 'Well get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect for Duddy's birthday.'**

"She's making him cook?" Fabian frowned, pulling Dorcas closer to him.

**Harry groaned**

'**What did you say?' His aunt snapped through the door.**

"He didn't say anything you filthy muggle." Narcissa sneered.

'**Nothing nothing…'**

**Dudley's birthday – how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed **

"You should really keep your bedroom tidy Harry." Lily chided, motherly.

**and, after pulling a spider off one of them, **

"Eurgh, spiders!" Alice shivered.

**put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, **

"Wait, why would it be telling us about the cupboard under the stairs?" James asked, with a sense of mounting horror. He clutched Lily tighter to him in fear of what he might hear next.

**and that was where he slept. **

"What?" The majority of the hall rang out.

"Dumbledore!" Lily shrieked. "Why? Dammit! Why did you leave him there!" She sobbed, there were tears pouring down her face again, her heart breaking for the little boy she had yet to meet. She turned around and buried her face in James' chest, wailing her displeasure.  
>James was not much better off. He was clenching his jaw, refraining from yelling at the headmaster also. He brought his hands up to Lily's back, one of the rubbing circles along her spine, whilst the other clutched her neck tighter to him.<p>

Dumbledore looked heart broke for the treatment of little Harry, ignoring all the glares he was receiving around the room he conjured up an extra large packet of tissues and sent them towards Lily and James segment of table.  
>Which were desperately needed. Dorcas, Marlene and Alice were all crying again, not as fiercely as Lily but still a considerable amount. No child deserved that.<br>Remus, Sirius, Frank, Benji, Fabian and Gideon looked murderous and were glaring at the book in Dumbledore's hands. And Peter... he just looked confused, as usual.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had got the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise –Unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"That better not mean Harry." Remus growled, looking feral.

**Dudley's favorite punch-bag was Harry, **

Remus snarled.

**but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"At least there's that." James sighed, still rubbing Lily's back as her sobs subsided.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.**

"No, sorry Harry but that's your dads genes." Edgar smirked. "You'll be tiny until you're about fifteen." James threw a mock-glare at his childhood playmate.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair**

"So a lot like you then James." Arnold Bones, the fifth year Hufflepuff little brother of Amelia and Edgar smiled.

**And bright-green eyes.**

"But with his mother's eyes." Marina Goshawk, the sixth year Ravenclaw girlfriend of Edgar grinned.  
><strong>He wore round glasses held together by a lot of Sellotape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. <strong>  
>The hall was scowling once more.<br>**The only thing Harry liked about his appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a bolt of lightning. **  
>"Why do I get the feeling he'll hate that scar later in the book." Aaron Davies, a sixth year Ravenclaw sighed.<br>**He had had it as long as he could remember and the first question he could ever remember asking his aunt was how he had got it.  
>"In the car crash when your parents died," <strong>  
>"Petunia!" Lily exclaimed, lifting her head from James' chest. "H-how could you Tuney?" Lily's voice broke towards the end of the sentence and her lower lip began to tremble so she turned around and buried her face in James' chest once more. James curled the arm that was around Lily tighter to himself.<p>

**she had said. "and don't ask questions." **

**Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

The Ravenclaws looked outraged.  
><strong><br>Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon. "Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting**

"Ha!" Sirius and Remus snorted. "Like that's gonna work!" Ignoring the tongue James poked out at them Sirius stared at his best friend. "...you know... I wonder if you could _iron _James' hair flat? That would be-"

"No." Lily said.

"But Evans-"

"_No."_ Her tone cutting any argument short.

Sirius scowled deeply at James who was deliriously happy that Lily was sticking up for him.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, **

"Same." James sighed. "Tis the curse of the Potter men, my son. We are blessed with a full of hair till death, however it will be eternally messy."

**but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place. **

"He really is like you James." Amelia smiled, when James smiled back her mouth formed a smirk. "Let's hope it's only physically." James scowled at her and pinched Lily lightly at the waist when she started to giggle into his chest.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. **

"...I would say poor kid, but I have a feeling he's gonna be a prick." Seventh year Gryffindor Bertha Jorkins muttered.

**He had a large, pink face, not muck neck, small, watery blue eyes and thick, blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel –"**

"Well, I've often said Petunia needs glasses," Dorcas grinned. "What with her abysmal taste in men." She finished to snickers from the people that heard her.

"**Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig."**

"If he's anything like his dad, I don't blame you." Marlene said, rolling her eyes. She stopped hiding her face in Sirius' chest, unashamed of the tear tracks on her face; instead she just lent her head on his shoulder and clutched his left hand whilst his right arm was around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile was counting his presents. **

"Wow... he can count." Rabastan said, shocked.

"**Thirty-six,"** **he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"Oh for the love of Merlin what a brat!" Narcissa exclaimed, she was rich and pampered but she was taught to exercise self-control, something these muggles failed at... terribly.  
><strong>"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, its here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."<strong>

"What is he? Four?" Benji asked, eyes wide.

"Everyone knows that 'Daddy' only works when it's done by daughters over the age of ten, who want something." Bertha smirked.

"**All right then, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"Oh for the love of! Is anyone getting seriously pissed off with this kid?" Regulus asked angrily. At the large amounts of nods in the room Regulus turned to James. "Potter, you know I don't like you or Evans really, but your kid must have the patience and will of a saint."

Lily smiled at Regulus, whilst James smirked, looking smug.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?" **

"That's not proper parenting!" McGonagall exclaimed incredulous.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work.**

"Bet it was." Barty muttered.

**Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty ..."**

"Oh, my mistake." Rabastan frowned.

"What an idiot." Vanessa scowled.

**"Thirty nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia. **

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

"He didn't even say thank you!" Dana exclaimed angrily.**  
>Uncle Vernon chuckled.<br>"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair. **

"Don't agree you fat lump!" Remus exclaimed, giving Dorcas a high five when she raised her hand to him for insulting the Dursley's.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a cine-camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games and a video recorder. **

The muggle studies professor frowned. "I don't think any of those things have been invented yet, so I can't explain to you what they are."

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone, looking both angry and worried.**  
><strong>"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." <strong>

"If they are talking about Harry, he has a name." Alice said quietly.

**She jerked her head in Harry's direction. Dudley's mouth fell open in horror but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday his parents took him and a friend to, adventure parks, hamburger bars or the cinema. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at all the cats she'd ever owned."**

"Ew...cats..." Sirius shuddered, ignoring Marlene's curious look, he continued. "I don't blame you Harry, they're nasty little bastards cats are...except Minnie of course." Sirius finished, throwing the transfiguration teacher a wink and a grin.

"**Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. **

"It's not his fault, leave him alone!" Charity Burbage, a seventh year hufflepuff exclaimed.

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, My Paws and Tufty again. **

Lily chuckled softly. "That's okay Harry, we forgive you."

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.  
>"Don't be silly Vernon, she hates the boy." <strong>

"He has a name!" James exclaimed, angrily. "It's Harry, Ha-ree! Use it, for the love of Merlin!"

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug. **

"How cruel." Xenophilius Lovegood, a seventh year Ravenclaw muttered to his girlfriend Serena Balmes, another seventh year Ravenclaw. "To both Harry and the slug." To which Serena nodded her head dreamily.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?" **

"Isn't she that cow who's dog Alice accidently trod on?" Dorcas asked curiously.

Lily shook her head. "No, that's Marge, Vernon's sister and it was Marlene who stood on her dog, Buster. Alice, however, got really mad and turned Yvonne's rabbit Mopsy orange by accident. Of course Petunia blamed us, whereas Yvonne blamed Petunia. Even though the two of them are best friends, they're always trying to one up each other." Lily finished, rolling her eyes and grinning at Marlene's and Alice's light pink cheeks.

**"On holiday in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.  
>"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer.)<strong>

"Somehow, I doubt that'll happen Harry." Frank frowned. **  
>Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon. "And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.<strong>

"Personally, I think he should do it." Deidre Matthews, a fourth year Gryffindor snarled, upset. She had lost her little seven year old sister to a wild manticore attack three years ago, due to the negligence of the ministry and so the mistreatment of a child didn't sit well with her.

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening. **

"How rude." Hestia frowned.

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave him in the car ..." **

"That...that...that, no offence Evans, but that Bitch!" Regulus exclaimed, shocked. Sure his mother disliked Sirius but even she valued the life and wellbeing of children, because there are so few left in the wizarding world.

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone ..." **

"Sure, that's right care about the car. You useless fat lump!" Sirius growled, squeezing Marlene tighter to him to help restrain himself from hunting down Vernon Dursley and killing him.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact he wasn't really crying, it had been years since he'd really cried, but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted. **

"That," Narcissa said, slowly. "Is no way to raise a child."

**"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. **

"Again... what is he? Four?" Benji asked, angrily.

"**I ... don't ... want ... him ... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

"That little bastard!" Paul Smith, a sixth year Gryffindor snarled.

"**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, Good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother.**

"Okay, I take it back. My name is awesome compared to that kid." Harvey said with his eyes wide.

**Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. **

Remus, Sirius and James silently, as one, turned to stare at Peter. Peter however was staring at the ceiling, letting the voice of McGonagall wash over him.

**He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. **

"Bastard." Robert muttered.

**Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once. **

"Then he's no true friend." Remus said, solemnly.

"If you aren't willing to cry in front of your best friends in the world." James continued.

"Then your relationship is a farce and will be easily broken by the stretch of time." Sirius finished.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life.**

Lily's heart broke a little more with each horrible thing she heard about the way her sister was raising her baby. Even though she had disliked James merely a few hours ago, she was thankful her was there with her.

**His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside. 'I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's,**

"Get away from him you fat shit." Fabian said, deadpanned.

"Mr Prewitt!" McGonagall exclaimed.

"My brother is only speaking the truth, Professor." Gideon said, his face unusually solemn.

**"I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas." **

There was no twinkle visible in Dumbledore's vibrant blue eyes.

"He wouldn't dare!" Dorcas growled, her heart clenching for her friends son.

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly ..."  
>But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No ever did.<br>The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

"Petunia knows about magic though doesn't she?" Frank asked frowning.

"Well, we can assume that she has brain damage." Marlene said. "Proven by the poor parenting skills she displays."

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barber's looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his fringe, which she left 'to hide that horrible scar'. **

James buried his face in Lily's neck. This chapter was killing him to listen to. His son, his and Lily's boy was being subjected to a childhood more terrible than Sirius' had been. They had only despised him after he got sorted into Gryffindor, Harry was despised from being a baby.

**Dudley laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and his Sellotaped glasses.**

Severus' gut clenched. That sounded an awful lot like his childhood.

**Next morning, however, he had got up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

"Wow...re-growth of any limbs or hair isn't done until at least fourth year." Narcissa said quietly, though it carried over the hall. "You son is destined to be powerful." She smiled sadly at the depressed pair at the Gryffindor table.

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, **

No one said anything; they felt far too angry on Harry's behalf, as well as sympathetic towards James and Lily. James had tightened his arms around Lily as she had hidden her face in his chest again and started to weep once more.

**even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.  
>Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old jumper of Dudley's (brown with orange bobbles).<strong>

"Urgh..." Dana cringed.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a glove puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished. **

"...are all muggles this idiotic?" Edgar asked calmly.

"No...just Dursley's." Oscar replied.

**On the other hand, he'd got into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

"I'm so proud." Sirius and Remus grinned, pretending to wipe away a tear. James lifted his head from Lily's shoulder after discreetly wiping his eyes on her shoulder.

"That's my boy." He whispered softly, feeling Lily pat him on the chest.

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. **

"That is very powerful magic Mr. Potter, Miss Evans I do believe Miss Black was right, you're son will be powerful." McGonagall smiled at the two teenagers.  
><strong><br>The Dursley's had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings.  
>But all he tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) <strong>

"I can't believe they lock him in." Harvey frowned. "No offence Headmaster, but I think you're judgement has been wrong on this occasion."

The aged man inclined his head to the bubbly eleven year old.

was jump behind the big bins outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.

Benji snorted.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong it was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living-room. **

"How mundane his life sounds." Rabastan drawled with a frown.

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the ban and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. **

"Prick. He should be grateful to have a nephew as nice as Harry." Mary said, scowling.

**This morning, it was motorbikes. "... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," **

"He says, with a son like his." Gregoris snorted, humourlessly.

**he said, as a motorbike overtook them. "I had a dream about a motorbike," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Harry." James groaned quietly, rubbing Lily's back when she whimpered in distress for her son.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beetroot with a moustache, "MOTORBIKES DON'T FLY!"**

"Mine does!" Sirius said happily, smiling.

Dudley and Piers snickered.

"Arses." Remus growled.

**"I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**  
><strong>But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even in a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.<strong>

"Hmmm...cartoons? I am intrigued." Sirius said, smiling.

"No." Lily said, into James' chest.

"But Lily-" James began.

"No."

"But Evans-" Remus started.

"No."

"But our dearest Lilykinns!" Fabian and Gideon exclaimed.

"For the last time, no!" Lily cried, pulling away from James' chest, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips, half exasperated, half amused.

"Fine." The twins sighed dramatically.

James smiled softly, they may not be allowed to watch cartoons but they managed to make Lily smile.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with people. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice-creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice lolly.**

"That's okay, they're not to bad." Aaron said smiling.

**It wasn't bad either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head and looking remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond. **

The hall chuckled, slightly maliciously at the insult to the podgy son of the Dursley's.

"Prongs."

"Yeah Padfoot?"

"I love my godson."

"What makes you think you're godson?"

"...my awesomeness, obviously." Sirius said with a grin. "Oh and the fact we're best friends, that's important to."

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. **

Remus growled.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbockers glory wasn't big enough, **

"Brat." Was muttered by various members of the hall.

**Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first. Harry felt, afterwards, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Oh no, Harry." Lily frowned fretfully.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in here, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. **

Charity shivered, she had an intense fear of snakes.

**Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. **

"They'd need two pythons to crush you, you fat lump." Marlene snarled.

**Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car, and crushed it into a dustbin- but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, **

"The poor animal." Serena sighed.

**staring at the glistening brown coils. "Make it move," **

"Leave the poor thing alone." Xenophilius frowned.

**he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge. **

"It doesn't need you pestering it." Deidre frowned.

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. **

Bertha shook her head, what a brat this kid was.

**Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on. "This is boring," Dudley moaned. **

"Creatures have feelings to, no matter how small or large. They all feel pain, and they all feel loss." Serena frowned.

"Right now however Balmes, I think this snake is feeling severely pissed off with life." Benji frowned.

**He shuffled away, Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. **

Serena smiled dreamily. At least some people understand, she thought as she looked up at Xenophilius.

**It was worse than having a cupboard for a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up - at least he got to visit the rest of the house. **

"...Prongs..."

"Moony?"

"Where are we?" Remus said desperately. "Where am I? Padfoot? Wormtail? Marley? Dorcas? Alice? Where the hell are we? Why aren't we making sure your son knows how special he is?"

James sighed heavily. "I don't know Moons... I hope nothing has happened to any of you though."

Remus nodded slowly, still upset at Harry's plight.

Dumbledore closed his eyes against the glare he was getting from his Deputy.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were level with Harry's.**

"Wait. What?" Evan said, shocked.

**It winked. **

"But snakes don't have eyelids." Barty said slowly.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

"Harry, don't encourage it!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes wide.

**The snake jerked its head towards Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: "I get that all the time." **

"Woah... Potter... don't be alarmed... but I think your kid is a parselmouth." Regulus said slowly, voicing a lot of people in the halls thought.

"But how? It's not a trait of the Potter family, and Lily's muggleborn, so where would it come from?" James asked, worried for his son.

"If I may hazard a guess Mr. Potter, your son gained this gift from Voldemort." Dumbledore said carefully, a quizzical frown playing across his forehead.

**"I know," Harry, murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying." The snake nodded vigorously.**

"Haha!" Bertram giggled. When everyone looked at him, he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I just find it funny that this snake seems to be pretty bitchy." Everyone else gave either a small smile or a grin at that thought and turned back to the book.

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked. The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.  
>Boa Constrictor, Brazil.<br>"Was it nice there?" The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo.  
>"Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"<br>**  
>There was silence in the hall, which was broken by Dorcas.<p>

"Lily, I love you and all but your kid is having a conversation with a snake, about Brazil and he is taking it pretty calmly that the snake is talking to him. That's a little strange."

"Well I think it's cute, he such a thoughtful boy." Lily cooed, motherly.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. **

**"DUDLEY! MR DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

"Shut up you rat faced bastard!" Robert yelled.

"Mr. Booth!" Flitwick squeaked in warning to the twelve year old.

**Dudley came waddling towards them as fast as he could.**

Everyone snorted at the image**  
>"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. <strong>

"Oi!" James, Sirius and Remus yelled, angrily.

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened **

Grins spread across James', Remus', Sirius', Dorcas', Marlene's and the Prewitt twins faces.

**- One second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror. Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

The aforementioned seven howled with spiteful laughter at the Dursley's plight.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out on to the floor - people throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.  
>As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come ... Thanksss, amigo."<strong>

"Well... at least the snake was polite." Alice smiled.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock  
>"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?" <strong>

"It vanished." Rabastan drawled, rolling his eyes. Muggles, he thought.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. **

"Cowards." Serenity muttered.

**As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, **

"That snake actually seems pretty cool." Mary grinned.

**but by the time they were all back in uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

"Wish it had." Dorcas muttered. "Although it probably didn't go near Dudley because it was probably afraid 'The Mound of Flesh' would eat it."

**But, worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

Eyes widened around the hall.

"You little bastard!" Remus exclaimed, angrily. And for once McGonagall did not have the strength to reprimand the werewolf for his extremely true statement.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. **

"Leave him alone!" James exclaimed.

**He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals,"**

"He's already skinny enough!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed.

**before he collapsed into a chair and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy. **

Look how low you have sunk Petunia. Severus thought bitterly.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking in to the kitchen for some food.**

"Although the circumstances are less than favourable, I am still very proud of you Harry." Sirius said softly, smiling.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died. **

Lily curled up into James, pulling her feet off the floor, no longer crying as she had ran out of tears...Her poor baby...

**Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

That sentence brought the hall up short. Harry had survived the killing curse? Impossible! There was probably another explanation.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all.**

Lily gave a short dry sob and James squeezed the red head tightly to mask the internal pain the raven haired boy was feeling.

**His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. **

"He doesn't know what we look like James." Lily whispered. "He doesn't know!"

"He will Lily, I'm sure of it...he will." He replied, also whispering.

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. **

"No Harry, we're your family sweetie." Marlene cooed. "Me, your godmother. Sirius, your godfather. Remus, Fabian, Gideon, Frank, Benji, your adopted Uncles. Alice and Dorcas, your adopted Aunts."

"But really, where are we!" Dorcas exclaimed angrily.

"Err...Marley, you missed out Pete." Sirius pointed out.

"Oh yeah, him to."

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too.**

"Let me guess... idiotic wizards and witches." Regulus said, rolling his eyes.

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking woman dressed in all green has waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple cloak had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day then walked away without another word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look. **

"Really now!" Narcissa exclaimed. "They're just going to confuse the poor boy!"

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

Severus frowned, that really did sound like his life.

James and Lily frowned, their hearts cracking. They felt so lost and sorry about the treatment Harry had received at the hands of Lily's sister and her family.

McGonagall cleared her throat. "That is the end of the chapter." She closed the book and passed it to Dumbledore.

"Who would like to read next?" The headmaster asked.

"I will." Consuelo said softly from the Hufflepuff table. Dumbledore smiled and sent the book floating toward the curly-haired brunette.

**There we go finished! Finally! I have been meaning to get that chapter done for ages, but I always get distracted -.-  
>Anyway, for those who noticed yes, I have deleted 'The Order and the Philosopher's Stone' because quite frankly it was terrible. -.- I am hoping to redo all the chapters because it really did suck, and it was confusing with random authors notes in.<br>Anyway, thank you for being so patient. I have my first A Level exam in two weeks tomorrow, so I believe it is very unlikely you will get an update. :/ Sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy the chapter.  
>I have tried to make the reactions of the characters a little better, because one reviewer on my Order and the PS story said I needed to make the reactions more realistic, so I have tried to do that.<br>If you have any questions about anything I have written, review me them and I will answer them for you next chapter. **

**Thank you all,  
>Prongsie123 <strong>


	4. The Teachers Go A Wee Bit Overboard

**Disclaimer: If I did own Harry Potter I would sooooon have a swimming pool filled with money notes ahaha, so no, I don't own.**

**a/n: I hope you enjoy this chapter and I apologise for the delay. **

**Enjoy!**

Consuelo opened the book at the third chapter and cleared his throat.

**Letters from No One**

"That statement is a bit odd don't you think?" Robert asked.

Consuelo shrugged and continued.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment.**

"Wait, longer than a week in a cupboard?" Alice asked.

"Bastards." Dorcas hissed with narrowed eyes.

**By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started** **and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches. **

"Woah, what a little shit." Benji said with wide eyes.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

Snape snorted to himself. _Sounds like a certain group of Marauders_, he thought. _With James Potter as the stupid leader. _

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's**** favourite**** sport: Harry Hunting.**

Marlene snarled. "How about a new game, Dursley Murdering. Extra points are given for how painful the death." Sirius looked down at the girl in surprise, with soft, long blonde hair and warm violet eyes Marlene McKinnon was normally the picture of innocence. However at the moment with eyes as hard as crystals she looked more than likely to follow through on her threat.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. **

"Hogwarts!" Serenity squealed.

**When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings.**

"Smeltings is a school with quite a bad reputation for producing stuck up bastards." Lily murmured, squeezing James tighter.

"**They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

"For the love of Merlin! Can't this kid leave Harry alone!" Sirius raged, unknowingly digging his fingers into the soft flesh of Marlene's waist, making her jump and remove his fingers softly.

"**No, thanks," said Harry. ****"The poor toilets never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick." **

Most inhabitants of the Great Hall snorted. '_Serves that stupid git right to be outwitted by the cousin he constantly picks on'_ was the general thought wave throughout the hall.

**Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

"You didn't need to run Harry, just stroll. He'll be thinking a while." Remus grinned wolfishly.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. **

"Noooo! Not the cat lady!" Sirius howled. "She probably smells like cat food and catnip and lots of other smelly cat-like substances…I mean errr… I bet she's wonderful." Sirius finished after catching the irate look on the face of his Head of House. Marlene let out a dry snort at his actions.

**Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. **

"Tis a good mindset." Sirius nodded solomly.

Marlene whacked him lightly on the chest. "Shut up about the bloody cats!"

**She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

James and Sirius smirked at the horrified look on Remus' face.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats,** **orange knickerbockers,** **and flat straw hats called boaters.**

Their smirks melted away to horrified expressions.

Dorcas had started to mime retching into her goblet. "Wait a minute." She said suddenly. "Paraded? Why the hell would you parade about in that fashion disaster?"

**They also carried**** knobbly**** sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"…There are no words." Frank said, raising his eyes heavenward.

Alice looked thoughtful. "You know, in a way, that kind of reminds me of our wands." She then caught the look on everyone's faces. "I mean, apart from being made of wood, they have absolutely _nothing _in common, ignore me, I'm just the little blonde lady hiding behind her boyfriend right about now…"

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. **

"Must have had a pretty shit life." Rabastan murmured.

"Mr. Lestrange!" McGonagall exclaimed, "Language!" Rabastan gave no indication he heard the head of Gryffindor house.

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears **

"Petunia always had a flair for the dramatic." Lliy said, rolling her eyes.

**and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, **

"If I didn't already hate this kid, I'd feel sorry for him." Regulus said. "But since I don't like him, he deserves every baby name he's ever given." He finished with a grin.

**he looked so handsome and grown-up. **

"Didn't the book say he was an eleven year old blob?" Benji asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly! Dear Benji!" Fabian exclaimed.

"Didn't you know? That's seen as highly attractive these days!" Gideon finished, grinning.

**Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

Amelia snorted. "He has more self-restraint than you James."

James blushed. "Shut up Millie."

Lily frowned, slightly jealous of James' relationship with Amelia Bones, luckily no one noticed except Marlene who smirked at Lily when she looked in her direction.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. **

"Petunia?" Marlene asked.

"Dudley?" Asked Dorcas.

"Bet it was Vernon." Remus stated.

**It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water. "What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

"Bitch." Aaron muttered.

**"Your new school uniform," she said.**

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

"Sarcasm won't work on Petunia." Severus murmured softly.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." **

"Somehow I doubt that, after all your son is the size of a small…medium sized elephant." Dorcas said, with a raised eyebrow.

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought best not to argue**

"He's smarter than both his parents there." Frank said with a small smirk, ignoring the small glares Lily and James sent his way.

**He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High — like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably. **

"Poor Harry." Serenity frowned.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

"As if he needs another weapon, aside from his podgy fists." Bertha scowled.

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"I think we just entered the twilight zone." Sirius said wide –eyed.

"**Make Harry get it."**

"Oh do something yourself for once you lazy git." Remus muttered.

"**Get the mail, Harry."**

"All is normal once more." Dorcas said, though she didn't look happy about it.

"**Make Dudley get it."**

James grinned. "Atta boy Harry! Don't take it lying down!"

"**Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

The grin vanished from James' face. Lily scowled, "Touch my son, and I'll kill you."

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, **

"Stupid bitch, with her legions of dogs." Muttered Marlene.

**who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and — **_**a letter for Harry**_**.**

"His Hogwarts letter!" Benji exclaimed, excited.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him.**

That thought sobered the whole room.

**Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives — he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

_**Mr. H. Potter**_

_**The Cupboard under the Stairs **_

_**4 Privet Drive**_

_**Little Whinging**_

_**Surrey**_

"Albus, how did we not notice that?" Filllius asked the Headmaster.

"I do not know, Fillius." Dumbledore replied, with a frown.

"I say we check every letter that goes out Albus, to prevent something like this happening." Slughorn said.

"I agree." McGonagall added, turning her attention back to the book and away from her colleagues.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink.**

"Why is everything green?" Mary asked.

**There was no stamp.** **Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter **_**H**_**.**

"**Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ….no." Fabian said, rolling his eyes.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

"That," Evan began, "is just asking for havoc."

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

"**Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…"**

"**Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

"You stupid, little….large bastard!" Gideon exclaimed, angrily.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"You shouldn't snatch." Peter frowned.

"**That's **_**mine**_**!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"**Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon.**

"If our previous assumption is correct and Harry survived the killing curse and destroyed the Dark Lord, then I presume many people wish to talk to him, whether it be in person or by mail won't matter to them." Narcissa pondered.

"**P-P-Petunia!" he gasped. Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. **

"Git." Oscar murmured.

**Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

Dana rolled her eyes. "Drama queen. Are you sure the two of you are related Lily, you seem far more practical…even if you are a Gryffindor…no offence intended of course."

"She is definitely my sister. She has my mother's blonde hair, but I have her green eyes. And she has my father's grey eyes, whereas I have his red hair…that's why we are totally physical opposites." Lily replied to Dana's question.

"**Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!"**

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"I do not wanna imagine how much trouble I'd be in if I did that." Hestia murmured with her eyes raised heavenward.

"**I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

"It isn't even your letter, you twit! It has nothing to do with an ungrateful muggle such as yourself!" Gregoris exclaimed, frustrated.

"_**I **_**want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's **_**mine**_**."**

"Oh sh-…If he has Evans' temper I feel slightly wary over whether the house will still be standing by the end of the day." Edgar muttered.

"And what is that supposed to mean Bones?" Lily asked, with her eyebrows raised.

"Absolutely nothing my dear Miss Evans." Edgar replied with a disarming smile.

"**OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall,** **slamming the kitchen door behind them.**

"Abuse! Abuse! I don't care what happens to Dudley, but Harry is already so small." Vanessa said, worriedly.

**Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry,** **his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"**Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

"You are way to paranoid." Bert said, frowning.

"**Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"We wouldn't follow you even if you paid us a thousand galleons, which I doubt you have because you probably spent it all on your fat son." Barty spat.

"**But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —"**

"They should be humble to host a wizard in their house." Evan growled.

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

"**No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…"**

"Idiot." Harvey muttered, a strange hatred for Vernon Dursley welling within him.

"**But —"**

"**I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

"Stamp it out?" Marina echoed hollowly. "Do they know how dangerous that could be to both them, and most importantly Harry?"

"Of course they don't." Arnold spat, disgusted at the actions of these muggles. "They're stupid idiots who hole no concern for anyone but themselves."

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"He fit?" Paul asked, amazed.

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly.**

"How stupid does he think Harry is?" Deidre asked.

"**I have burned it."**

"How dare he!" Serena exclaimed, people looked at the normally soft spoken girl in shock. "He had no right, no right to even consider doing such a thing. I am sorry Lily, but your brother-in-law is unreachable, he is to self-absorbed to even contemplate helping."

"I know Serena, thank you…and if I can, I hope Vernon Dursley is never going to be my brother-in-law…Petunia…Petunia, for all her flaws, is still my sister…And she deserves better than the selfishness of Vernon Dursley." Lily said sadly, returning the tight hug James gave her.

"**It was **_**not **_**a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

"It is quite sad that he says cupboard like it's a natural place to sleep in." Xenophilius frowned.

"**SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.**

Alice shuddered.

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

Alice shuddered again.

"**Er — yes, Harry — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom."**

The silence in the hall was deafening.

"Second bedroom?" James asked, rage hiding beneath each syllable.

"I'm going to kill Vernon." Lily vowed.

"**Why?" said Harry.**

"**Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: **

Nobody spoke, the anger within the hall was so thick it was nearly visable.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. **

Sirius growled angrily. "Stupid brat."

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. **

Lily let out another dry sob.

**He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. **

"Then why keep it?" Benji asked, confused.

**The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbour's dog; **

Sirius scowled fiercely.

**in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his**** favourite**** program had been cancelled; **

McGonagall eyes widened at Dudley's spoilt nature.

**there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, **

"Poor thing, I hope it got a nicer owner than this rude little boy." Serena said, a small frown upon her face.

**which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. **

"How fat is this kid really!?" Rabastan asked, his eyebrows raising towards his hairline.

**Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

Barty scowled. "Such a waste of good books on such and undeserving individual." Barty loved books, they were the only thing to keep him company during the holidays, aside from Winky the house elf and the occasional visits from his social butterfly of a mother… his father, however was rarely around Barty when he was awake and Barty didn't know the man at all.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't **_**want **_**him in there… I **_**need **_**that room… make him get out…"**

"You don't need the room you fat git." Gideon scowled.

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. **

Lily's tired eyes screamed with sympathy for her poor son.

**Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

_What a bleak viewpoint _Severus thought.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, **

"I can't imagine hitting my father." Narcissa said quietly. "This boy has no respect for his elders."

**been sick on purpose, **

"That can't be healthy." Madame Pomfrey, the school matron said with a frown.

**kicked his mother, **

"I don't even want to imagine kicking my mother." Sirius said with a shudder. "I may hate the woman, but damn, she is scary!"

"Yep. Now I'm gonna have nightmares, thanks Sirius." Regulus said, scowling.

**and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, **

Serena frowned again. "This child shouldn't be allowed pets, the way he treats them is no better than how he treats other human beings.

**and he still didn't have his room back.**

"Deal with it, prick." Remus muttered.

"Mr. Lupin!" McGonagall exclaimed.

"Not sorry." He replied, scowling.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall.**

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty." Harvey murmured.

"What?" James asked, looking puzzled.

"It's a muggle phrase." Lily replied, not expanding further.

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

"And boom! They spontaneously combusted!" Robert exclaimed.

"Sadly, no." Consuelo replied, and continued to read the book.

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it.**

"The twilight zone has returned." Sirius said, his eyes wide.

**They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. **

"Prat." Frank muttered.

**Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'"**

"What an idiot." Fabian frowned.

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, **

"…he can run?" Mary asked, eyebrow raised.

**Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, **

"I ask again, how fat is this kid?!" Rabastan exclaimed.

**which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

"Fight Harry, fight!" James, Remus, Sirius and Dorcas chanted.

"No Harry, you may get hurt, nothings worth that." Lily said, worriedly.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, **

"….even Dudley?" Marlene asked, confused.

**Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

"Damn." Dorcas murmured.

"**Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley — go — just go."**

"Prick." Gideon muttered.

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"I'm so proud." Sirius said, wiping fake tears from his eyes. McGonagall looked slightly worried.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. **

"There's such a thing as six o'clock in the morning?" Marlene asked, slightly shocked.

"Just because you avoid getting up until the last minute, doesn't mean everybody does." Alice said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, but I still look fabulous with bed hair." Marlene replied, winking in her friends direction.

**Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. **

"Not a bad plan for a ten year old." Edgar murmured.

**His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door —**

"**AAAAARRRGH!"**

Everybody jumped because Consuelo had yelled.

"Consuelo you git, if you don't continue reading right now I'm going to murder you." Narcissa snarled, not happy at being shocked.

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something **_**alive**_**!**

Sirius had his fingers crossed and his eyes closed. "His Uncle's face, his Uncle's face, his Uncle's face." He chanted.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face.**

"Yeeeeesssssssssssssssss!" Sirius yelled, pumping his fist in the air.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. **

"Fat git." Remus muttered.

**He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

"Poor Harry." Lily said sadly. "Next time, if I ever die I'm writing in my will Harry won't go within five feet of my sister and her stupid family."

"That's a pointless promise Lily." James said softly. "Because your not going to die this time, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you don't die."

"Neither are you James, I promise you that." Lily said, determined.

"**I want —" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

"Spiteful bastard." Regulus said.

"Hogwarts letters are precious." Serenity said. "I framed mine and hung it above my bed."

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day.**

**He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

Fillius snorted. "That is not going to work. He really underestimates magic doesn't he."

"**See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't **_**deliver **_**them they'll just give up."**

"No, we persevere throughout all obstacles." Horace smirked.

"**I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"He should listen to her, she at least has an idea of what magic is capable of." Charity said softly.

"**Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"Yes, and aren't we glad for that fact." Severus drawled.

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. **

"I applaud you my dear teachers." Remus grinned.

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"He's cracked." Frank said, slightly alarmed.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two-dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor. **

"Wow…we really are determined aren't we?" Madame Pomfrey asked, amazed.

"Of course, can you imagine the upheaval that would occur if the vanquisher of You-Know-Who, the Boy-Who-Lived didn't go to Hogwarts?" Xenophilius asked.

"**Who on earth wants to talk to **_**you **_**this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

"As I pointed out earlier, lots of people will want to." Narcissa frowned.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

"That's never good." Benji said, slightly worried.

"**No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today —"**

"Idiot. _Never_ underestimate the wizarding world." Rabastan smirked.

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. **

Lily and James laughed in joy, maybe finally their son would learn the truth about who he really was and how special he was…to the whole wizarding world, not just to Lily and James.

**The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt in to the air to try to catch one- **

"Why didn't he pick one up off the floor?" Peter asked.

"Must you kill the happy vibes?" Sirius sighed. "Maybe he'll be a seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team when he grows up."

"**Out Out!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.**

"OI!" James exclaimed angrily, the joyful feeling from earlier vanishing at the thought of Vernon Dursley abusing his son.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

"I may have gone a little overboard in the future." Dumbledore said, slightly amused.

"**That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his moustache at the same time.**

"Definitely cracked." Frank repeated.

**"I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one dared argue. **

"That sounds like a good plan Harry." Hestia said, looking alarmed at the mental instability of Vernon.

**Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

"Idiot." Evan muttered, rolling his eyes.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

"**Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

"Is idioticness inherited?" Evan asked. "As both father and son are unbelievably stupid."

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer. **

"Oh poor Dinky Duddidums!" Dorcas cried, clapping her hands to her mouth. "Suck it up." She finished, removing her hands to show the shark-like grin upon her face.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. **

"Dudley…share….you lie!" Fabian exclaimed.

**Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…**

"No Harry, you should get some sleep. Insomnia isn't healthy." Lily said, motherly.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. **

"Speaking of unhealthy." Madame Pomfrey frowned.

"'**Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

_**Mr. H. Potter**_

_**Room 17**_

_**Railview Hotel**_

_**Cokeworth**_

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

"Don't just stand there you stupid bint." Bert scowled.

"**I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

"**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a ploughed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

"**Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon**

"Even Pudge-Junior has noticed the lack of intelligence of Vernon."

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.**

"**It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a **_**television**_**." **

"I _said_ suck. It. Up!" Dorcas exclaimed.

**This reminded Harry of something. If it **_**was **_**Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday.**

"Happy birthday Harry!" James and Lily exclaimed.

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

Sirius and Remus growled. "Bastards." They murmured.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

"At least he's optimistic." Alice said.

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling.**

"I repeat, never good." Benji said.

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"That means nothing good." Oscar said, with a small frown.

"**Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

"Oh he is not taking my baby out there. He could get sick!" Lily exclaimed, unhappily.

"**Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. **

James growled and rubbed the worried Lily's back, trying to reassure her that Harry will be fine.

**"And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"I'd hardly call him a gentleman." Charity said with a raised eyebrow.

"**I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

Lily was breathing heavily through her nose trying to calm herself so she didn't hunt Vernon Dursley down and castrate him.

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.**

"Those aren't rations, that is hardly a snack!" Harvey exclaimed.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

"**Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

"Prick." Marlene muttered.

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail.**

**Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

"Anything's possible." Dana grinned.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few mouldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. **

"…what about Harry?" Hestia asked, though she was hesitant to know the answer.

**She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

Lily wailed into James' chest again, seeming to find more tears in her previously overused tear ducts. James rubbed her back and fought off the imminent tears of his own.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. **

"What a horrible way to start your birthday." Serena said frowning.

**He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

"Well, since the letters are written by a quick-notes quill, probably a draw in McGonagall's desk." Regulus said, logically.

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.**

"Don't joke about things like that Harry, I don't think your Mum can take it." Marlene said, looking worriedly at her best friend.

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

"I doubt it." Fillius said. "We have to abide by the Statue of Secrecy after all."

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

Lily whimpered and James gripped her tighter in response.

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine — maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

"Do it!" Fabian and Gideon exclaimed.

— **three… two… one…**

**BOOM.**

Again everyone jumped, Consuelo had yelled again.

"McNeeley…" Narcissa snarled. Consuelo quickly finished the last sentence.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"Who?!" Asked James and Lily alarmed.

"Dunno, that's the end of the chapter." Consuelo replied.

"I'll read next." Dana said.

**Helllllllooooo everybody! Well, I finally managed to get this chapter done. Now for those of you that think James and Lily are progressing to quickly, sorry but I'm not changing it :D I'd also like to thank everybody for reviewing and favouriting and adding alerts etc. :D x**

**Anyway, I have started my second year of college, I got four AS level results, 1 D, 1 B and 2 C's which is four passes! Woot woot! ;)**

**Anyway, if you have any questions don't hesitate to pm me I am happy to reply and answer them. **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
>Much Love,<br>Bethan  
>xxx3xxx<strong>


	5. Dorcas Meadows has Finally Cracked!

_**A/N: My apologies to all my readers out there my absence has been inexcusable, however I would like to correct a mistake I made in a previous chapter.  
>IMPORTANT PLEASE READ! In Chapter 2 I said that Charity Burbage was the muggle studies professor, however in Chapter 3 I said that she was a seventh year Hufflepuff. I would like to remedy this by saying, she is definitely the muggle studies professor in this story, ignore my slip-up. Thank you.<br>Also, I'd like to welcome and thank my new beta JamesandLilyLove**_

_**So….on with the chapter!**_

**Chapter Five**

"**The Keeper of the Keys,"**Dana read.

"Hagrid." The room seemed to sigh in relief, the loudest being Lily.

Hagrid grinned at the hall filled with students.

**BOOM.**

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.**

"**Where's the canon?" he said stupidly.**

"Idiot." Regulus said. "I never get tired of calling him that." He finished with a grin.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands – now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

"What!?" Lily shrieked angrily. "He brought a dangerous weapon near my son, how dare he!" James tried to calm he with shushing sounds and by rubbing her back, even if he too was equally incensed.

"**Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you – I'm armed!"**

**There was a pause. Then -**

**SMASH!**

**The door hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

"Jeez, Harry's descriptions make Hagrid seem like some sort of beast." Benji said with a roll of his eyes.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame.**

"Yes, Hagrid my pretty! Intimidate the muggles! He he he he he!" Dorcas cackled with happiness over the Dursleys being scared.

"Yep, she's cracked." Fabian said, with a shake of his head.

"Indubitably." Gideon added, with a nod.

**The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

"**Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..."**

"Only you Hagrid." Harvey said, grinning and shaking his head at Hagrid's sheepish face.

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

"**Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

"Finally! Someone told that fat pig what he really was!" Robert praised, his face raised heavenward.

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother,**

"She isn't going to be able to hide you Porky." Marlene muttered.

**who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

"….He however, might." Marlene added.

"**An' here's Harry!" said the giant.**

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

"**Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."**

"Thank you Hagrid." James said, smiling at the giant. "I don't think you truly understand the importance of what you said to Harry… but thank you."

"S'all righ' James" Hagrid smiled at the black haired boy and the girl in his lap.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

"**I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

"Fuck off Vernon." Dorcas muttered.

"Miss Meadows!" McGonagall exclaimed.

"Yes Professor?" Dorcas asked with a sickly sweet smile.

"Language!" McGonagall answered primly, ignorant of Dorcas' rolled eyes.

"**Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant, he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

"Wooo! Go Hagrid!" Oscar exclaimed.

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

"Trod on him for real Hagrid" Frank said, with a uncharacteristically mean grin upon his face.

"**Anyway – Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "A very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here – I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."**

"Thank you again, Hagrid." James smiled softly.

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with**_**Happy Birthday Harry**_**written on it in green icing.**

Lily got up from her place on James' lap and crossed the room to give Hagrid a hug.

"You haven't even known him for longer than a hour and you've still shown him more kindness than my sister did for his whole life… thank you Hagrid… from the bottom of my… our hearts." She said with a smile, turning round she returned to her place on James' lap.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

"Harry." Lily chuckled. "Manners." She chided, jokily.

**The giant chuckled.**

"**True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."**

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

"**What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

"Hagrid." McGonagall said sternly and disapprovingly.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

"Good!" Alice said approvingly. "Maybe, he'll finally get warm."

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea.**

"How many pockets do you have Hagrid?" Arnold asked, slightly amazed.

"102" Hagrid replied, oblivious to everyone's shocked looks.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

"Don't give him anything Hagrid." Vanessa snarled.

**The giant chuckled darkly.**

"**Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."**

Mary applauded Hagrid whilst saying, "Maybe the Dursleys will take a hint and stop trying to kill their son with food… doubt it though."

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."**

"Such a sweet boy." Serena smiled.

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

"**Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts – yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."**

"No, he won't." Remus fumed. "Because some idiots deemed it unnecessary to tell him."

"**Er – no," said Harry.**

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

"**Sorry," Harry said quickly.**

"Don't apologise Harry, you've done nothing wrong." Marlene said quickly.

"_**Sorry**_**?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows.**

Dorcas couldn't resist. "Yes, cower in fear you ignorant, selfish little shi-"

"Miss Meadows! Do I have to dock house points!?" McGonagall exclaimed impatiently.

"No, Professor."

"**It's them that should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"**

"**All what?" asked Harry.**

"**ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered.**

"Ooooo… this is gonna be gooooood!" Sirius cackled, rubbing his hands together.

"Why?" Marlene asked.

"Hagrid is mad, you never make Hagrid mad. It's like asking to be terrified." Sirius grinned in reply.

"**Now wait jus' one second!"**

**He leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

Dorcas chuckled darkly under her breath.

"**Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy – this boy! - knows nothin' abou' – about ANYTHING?"**

"Ouch, that's a bit of an ego bruiser there Hagrid." Regulus winched.

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.**

"See?" Regulus commented.

"Nobody doubted you Regulus." Narcissa said, rolling her eyes.

"**I know**_**some**___**things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."**

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About**_**our**_**world,I mean.**_**Your**_**world.**_**My**_**world.**_**Yer parents'**_**world."**

"**What world?"**

"The best world." Evan smirked.

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

"**DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

"Kill them Hagrid…just a little bit. Please?" Deidre pleaded.

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble."**

**Hagrid stared wildly at Harry. "But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're**_**famous**_**. You're**_**famous**_**."**

"You got your lifelong dream of fame James." Peter squeaked with a smile.

"Okay, A) My lifelong dream isn't to be famous, it's something else and B) I'm famous because I'm dead Peter, that isn't a good kind of famous." James said, scowling at his friend heavily until Peter mumbled an apology.

"**What? My – my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

"**Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.**

"**Yeh don' know what yeh**_**are**_**?" he said finally.**

"An octopus!" Harvey exclaimed. People stared at him in bemusement. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

"**Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

"Pfft, like that's gonna work against Hagrid." Edgar laughed.

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

"**You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"**

"Well there lies the problem." Lily said with a frown. "You should have done it in person, not a letter. Letter's can be ignored and the person could say they never got them, but a face to face meeting is infallible… and yes I'm still mad you left my son on a doorstep… in November."

Dumbledore bowed his head with apology.

"**Kept**_**what**___**from me?" said Harry eagerly.**

"**STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

"**Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. " Harry – yer a wizard."**

"Bold, blunt and to the point." Benji mused.

"We like it!" Fabian and Gideon exclaimed.

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

"**I'm a**_**what**_**?" gasped Harry.**

"**A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good' un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's yer letter."**

"Oh stop it Hagrid, you're making us blush." James said, with a wink.

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to**_**Mr. H. Potter, The floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.**_

"You guys are frighteningly specific." Hestia said with wide eyes.

**He pulled out the letter and read:**

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**_

_**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**_

_**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**_

_**Dear Mr. Potter,**_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**_

_**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Minerva McGonagall,**_

_**Deputy Headmistress**_

"I got the exact same letter four years ago!" James grinned.

Lily stared at him for a second, then hit him upside the head and turned to face Dana once more.

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

"**Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid,**

"Galloping Gorgons?" Rabastan said slowly. "Never heard that one before."

**Clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl – a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl –**

"Hagrid!" Serena and Xenophilius exclaimed.

"Don't worry you two, I take good care of the owls whenever I take them away with me. None of them have complained yet." Hagrid placated the upset animal lovers.

**a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:**

"That is a talent." Amelia said. "I can only just read Hagrid's writing right side up."

_**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**_

_**Given Harry his letter.**_

_**Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.**_

_**Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**_

_**Hagrid**_

"Bold, blunt and to the point." Benji mused again to himself.

"We like it!" Fabian and Gideon exclaimed once more.

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was normal as talking on the telephone.**

"What's a telephone?" Gregoris asked.

"Muggle communication device." Sirius replied quickly, wanting to get on with the book.

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

"**Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

"Damn, he's still there?" Dorcas muttered.

"**He's not going," he said.**

**Hagrid grunted.**

"**I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.**

"**A what?" said Harry, interested.**

"**A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call non-magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

"True. True." Paul said with a short, sharp nod.

"**We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"**

Dumbledore's face looked drawn at the mention of stamping out magic.

"**You**_**knew**_**?" said Harry. "You**_**knew**___**I'm a – a wizard?"**

"**Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "**_**Knew**_**! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was?**

"Lily is not dratted!" James, Marlene, Dorcas and Alice exclaimed. So did Severus, albeit not as loudly as the other five.

**Oh, she got her letter just like that and disappeared off to that – that**_**school**_**– and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats.**

James turned to Lily in amazement.

"It was the summer after first year and it was accidental. Trust Petunia to remember that one occasion after twenty years.

**I was the only one who saw her for what she was – a freak!**

"Bitch." Sirius, Remus, Fabian, Gideon, Frank and Benji muttered.

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

"And what is wrong with having a witch in the family?!" Marina exclaimed, angrily.

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

"She probably has." Lily sighed. "She hates me." She finished with a frown.

"**Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as – as –**_**abnormal**_**–**

Lily's face contorted. "Say what you like about me Petunia, but you leave my son out of this!" She snarled.

**and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you."**

The great hall seemed to gasp as one.

"That's how he found out?" Madame Pomfrey murmured. "That's how he found out the true fate of his parents?"

Lily and James had become pale. Lily's bottom lip had started to quiver, to hide her sobs she burrowed into James' already soiled jumper.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"**

"**CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"**

"Kill them Hagrid." Marlene muttered.

"It's no less than they deserve." Sirius finished hollowly.

"**But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

"Poor Hagrid, he had no idea what he was signing up for." Consuelo said softly.

"**I never expected this," he said, in a low worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh – but someone's gotta – yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."**

Dana interrupted herself. "I expect that would be quite troublesome."

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

"**Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh – mind, I can't yeh everythin' it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."**

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with – with a person called – but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows –"**

"**Who?"**

"**Well – I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

"That's a stupid fear." James muttered.

"**Why not?"**

"**Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..."**

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

"**Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

"**Nah – can't spell it. All right –**_**Voldemort**_**."**

"Wow." Remus said, slightly amazed. "Harry got Hagrid to say Voldemort's name."

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this – this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got' em, too – some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power,**

Most of the room glanced over to the Slytherin side of the room, however no one commented on it.

**' cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Don't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him – an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.**

"I'd hate to imagine a Hogwarts run by Voldemort and his Death Eaters." Amelia said with a frown.

**Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day!**

"What!" Sirius, Remus, James and most of the Great Hall exclaimed.

"Lily we all expected, but James? No offence." Frank said.

"None taken." James said, still shocked.

By this point Lily had stopped crying and was now laughing at James' incredulous expression, although even she was faintly surprised.

**Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get' em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.**

"Never." Lily and James said fiercely.

**Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' – an' -"**

The hall bowed their heads for the loss of Lily and James. Sirius and Marlene clutched each other tighter.

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his noise with a sound like a foghorn.**

"**Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad – knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find – anywa..."**

"Aw, thanks Hagrid." Lily smiled.

"**You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then – an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing – he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it.**

"Shows how powerful Voldemort is then doesn't it?" Fabian said with a shrug.

**Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh – took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even – but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry.**

"If Harry is anything like me he'd rather have his family than fame." James said softly.

**No one ever lived after he decided ter kill' em, no one except you, an' he killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age – the McKinnons,**

The hall gasped. "Marley!" Lily, Alice and Dorcas exclaimed.

Marlene hugged Sirius, who hugged her closely in return.

"I guess this answers the question as to why I wasn't there to beat the shit out of the Dursleys for the way they treated Harry." Marlene said quietly, a tear slipping down her cheek as she hid her face in Sirius' shoulder.

**the Bones,**

"What!" James exclaimed in the silence of the shell-shocked hall. "Millie, Eddie, Arnie, you guys can't die!"

"Maybe it doesn't mean all of us James." Edgar said with a brave, yet wobbly smile as Marina sobbed on his chest.

**the Prewetts –**

"Fabian!" Dorcas cried, as she collapsed sobbing on her boyfriend's chest.

Fabian looked down at his girlfriend, then looked around in desperation. "Hagrid doesn't mean Molly does he? Surely she'd count as a Weasley right? Right!?"

Gideon was being comforted by Benji trying not to think of whether their older sister had lived, she had just had her third son.

**an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."**

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before – and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.**

Lily gasped; a watery, wet sound almost drowned by her tears.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

"**Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."**

"**Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped, he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

"Like that's gonna do anything." Bert muttered, softly.

"**Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured –**

"You lay one finger on him Dursley." James threatened. "And I will curse you so bad even your bones will have bruises."

**and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion –**

The hall exploded in outrage. How dare Vernon say that, to their orphaned child no less? One thing was certain, every student and teacher of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: 1976 hated Vernon Dursley.

**asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types – just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"**

Rage was written upon every students face; even the Slytherins.

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley – I'm warning you – one more word..."**

"Curse him Hagrid." Dorcas muttered thickly.

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

"**That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

"**But what happened to Vol -, sorry – I mean, You-Know-Who?"**

"Never be sorry for intelligence Harry." Lily said, softly.

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go? Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die.**

Dumbledore looked thoughtful at future Hagrid's statement.

**Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on —**_**I**___**dunno what it was, no one does**—**but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

"My godson is awesome." Sirius whispered into Marlene's hair.

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake.**

"Now this is a rare sight." Remus grinned. "A Potter without an ego." James glared mockingly at his werewolf friend.

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

"Because it doesn't work like that." Severus muttered ever so softly.

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."**

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

"**Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"**

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach… dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?"**

"Not technically, no." Narcissa smiled, slightly.

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.**

"**See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

"**Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —"**

"Will someone please, shut him up!" Regulus exclaimed. "He is really starting to piss me off!"

"**If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born.**

**He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—"**

"**I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

The whole hall sat in shell-shocked silence as they watched Hagrid get redder and redder in anger over the insult of the headmaster. Dana quickly read on under Dumbledore's prompting.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!" He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

The entire great hall burst out into laughter, or at least everyone cracked a smile.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

"Finally!" Regulus muttered.

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

"**Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

"Hagrid stop!" Alice giggled. "You're killing me!"

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.**

"**Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."**

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "What are we going to do with you Hagrid?" She said, sounding amused.

Hagrid blushed and shrugged sheepishly.

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

"**Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."**

"**Why were you expelled?"**

"Hagrid will never answer that question. We've tried… many times… even with alcohol… didn't work." Remus said with a frown.

"What was that Mr. Lupin?" McGonagall said with flared nostrils.

"Nothing Professor." Remus replied, angelically.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."**

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.**

"**You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets."**

"Why would you have dormice in your pocket?" Hestia asked.

"Probably for the owl." Harvey replied, to a now green looking Hestia.

"And that is the end of Chapter 5!" Dana exclaimed happily.

"I think it's time for bed." Lily said, softly. "It's been a stressful day, and I think we deserve some well earned rest… shall we continue tomorrow?" She directed this question to the headmaster who replied with a nod.

"You heard Miss Evans, off to bed now students." Dumbledore said and with a clap of his hands the torches in the great hall started to dim as the students slowly made their way back to their dormitories.

_**A/N: Okie-doke, you guys know the drill I'm thankful you are reading my story, thanks for all reviews I receive. Please review and thank you for waiting for this chapter…until next time, goodbye! xxx**_

**(From the Beta: I'm sorry! It was my fault it took so long for Prongsie to update! I apologize D:)**


	6. The Stress Levels Of Narcissa Black

**Hello everybody, Happy 2015! I can't believe it's been 2 years since I updated this piece. I can't promise that the updates will be steady, as I do have a full time job now but I'll try. A lot has happened in the last 2 years, I now have a wonderful boyfriend! Not to mention I turned 18, became a legal drinking animal, then dropped out of Uni… Been quite a ride, but now I don't drink now I've reached the old age of 19. But enough about me, on with the update! ******

The next morning all the students arrived in the Great Hall bright-eyed and excited to start the new chapter. When every student and member of staff were accounted for Minerva addressed the hall.

"Who would like to read next?" she asked.

At first no one spoke up until,

"I'll do it Professor." Said a voice from the Slytherin table.

"Thank you Mr. Rosier." McGonagall replied and floated the book over to the teens spot at the table.

Clearing his throat, Evan began, **"Diagon Alley"**

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.**

**"It was a dream," he told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."**

"Oh Harry, no it wasn't a dream baby." Lily said, a sad frown on her face.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

**_'And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door,'_****Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

"Don't be such a pessamist son." James mumered, squeezing Lily's hand under the table.

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

**"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up." He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.**

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him.**

"Yeah! That's how we like you Harry! Happy!" Sirius exclaimed.

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

**"Don't do that." Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.**

"He won't like that." Regulus grinned.

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl…"**

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa**

**"What?"**

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets." Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags... finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

"Seriously Hagrid, sort out your pockets!" Hestia exclaimed.

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

**"Knuts?"**

**"The little bronze ones." Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off****through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.**

"Now that's just lazy Hagrid." Harvey chided, shaking a finger at the half-giant.

**"Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school." Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.**

"No Harry, stay positive!" Remus frowned.

**"Um – Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

**"I haven't got any money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night ... he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."**

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

**"But if their house was destroyed -"**

James and Lily flinched, and the house of Gryffindor became slightly stone faced.

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

**"Wizards have banks?"**

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins." Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

**"Goblins?"**

"Who else would run it?" Bartimus rolled his eyes.

"Well it may have escaped your notice but Goblins aren't seen in the muggle world, and muggle banks are ran by muggles." Benji said, with slight scorn.

**"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you, gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see."**

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.**

**"Flew," said Hagrid.**

"May I ask how?" Narcissa asked, looking slightly perplexed.

**"Flew?"**

"You think like a Potter Cissy." Rabastan grinned.

"Oh, be quiet!"

**"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

"Hagrid." Minerva warned.

**"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

**"Spells - enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the highsecurity vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

"Especially the old family vaults, they're so deep under the earth it's ridiculous." Sirius frowned.

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.**

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one.**

"Cornelius Fudge?" Amelia asked. "What about Barty's father?"

Everyone looked at Barty until he shrugged in response, it wasn't like he knew what was happening with his fathers life.

**So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

"Sounds like Fudge." Horace frowned.

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

"Really? Could have fooled me." Fabian laughed.

"Yeah." Gideon joined in, "For years we thought it was some sort of competition. You know, who has the biggest influence."

"Who's ego is the largest?" Fabian finished. "We thought they were overcompensating for other parts of themselves which….aren't as large."

**"Why?"**

**"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."**

"That is a fair point." Xenophilius murmured.

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.**

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh."**

"Hagrid!" Marlene moaned.

**"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"**

"There is." Sirius stated. "But only for the old Pureblood vaults, the newer vaults don't warrant as much attention from the Goblins."

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

**"You'd like one?"**

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go." They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets.**

"I don't understand why you lot struggle with muggle money so much. I mean, there's numbers on them!" Lily exclaimed, slightly frustrated.

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

**"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.**

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."**

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**UNIFORM - First-year students will require:**

**Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

"Does anyone actually wear those past the first week? I don't know where mine went…I think it got sacrificed when Sirius accidentally set the dorm on fire two days into our third week of school." Remus said, rolling his eyes whilst Sirius grinned unapologetically.

**One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**

**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags**

**COURSE BOOKS - All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk**

**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**

**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**

**A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch**

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**

**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**

"Haha…arse." Sirius giggled to himself. Remus rolled his eyes at his friend.

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**

"The best book on the curriculum." Serena mused.

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**

**OTHER EQUIPMENT –**

**wand**

**cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**

**set of glass or crystal phials**

**telescope**

**set of brass scales**

**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**

"Yeah, thanks for that James." Sirius said deadpan.

"For the one hundreth time, I said I was sorry!" James exclaimed, turning away from Sirius pout and trying to hush Lily's giggling.

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

**Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.**

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them?Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks?**

**Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?**

"I didn't know non-circus trained animals could do tricks." Dorcas snarled.

**If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor,** **he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.**

"He is a very trustworthy person. Your son has great judge of character." Dumbledore smiled at Lily and James who smiled and blushed.

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place." It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub.**

**If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it.**

"Obviously." Severus muttered, sullenly.

**Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.**

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut.**

"That's actually quite an apt description of Tom." Pomona grinned.

**The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.**

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this- can this be-?" The Leaky****Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

"Why?" Frank frowned.

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter... what an honour." He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

"What the hell?" Alice said, looking puzzled.

**"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out.**

**Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

**"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

"Stay away from her Harry, she's batty as hell." Remus muttered.

**"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand - I'm all of a flutter."**

**"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

"I'm alive!" The aforementioned sixth year Hufflepuff exclaimed.

**"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. **

The hall snorted whilst Dedalus blushed lightly.

**"You bowed to me once in a shop."**

**"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!"**

Slight titters broke across the hall whilst Dedalus blush turned full on scarlet.

**Harry shook hands again and again - Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

"I told you…batty" Remus said, shaking his head.

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.**

**"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at****Hogwarts."**

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you."**

"That's gonna get annoying fast." Gregoris muttered.

"Try reading it." Evan frowned.

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, **

"Seriously Dumbledore?" Lily exclaimed. "Him?!"

**as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter." He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose. I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

"Who on earth is scared of their own subject?" Consuelo asked.

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

**"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."**

**Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.**

**Hagrid grinned at Harry.**

"Why are you grinning about what just happened Hagrid? The poor lad is probably terrified!" Poppy frowned.

"Err.. well. I dunno.." Hagrid muttered.

"Perhaps Poppy, Hagrid did not know how bad Harry's home life was." Dumbledore told the matron with a smile, a familiar twinkle in his eye. Poppy nodded, smiling at Hagrid in apology.

**"Told yeh, didn't I. Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

**"Is he always that nervous?"**

"Seriously Dumbledore?" Lily asked the headmaster again, to which he replied with a shrug.

"Maybe the post is getting harder to fulfil in the future." Dumbledore mused.

**"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since.**

The hall winced in sympathy for the poor man.

**Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?"**

**Vampires. Hags. Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

**"Three up... two across," he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry." He tapped the wall three****times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

"Diagon Alley is a beautiful street." James smiled. Lily looked at him in amazement. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing, it's just I would have thought you would have been used to it."

"I am. Doesn't mean it's not beautiful." He replied. Lily smiled in agreement.

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley." He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop.**

**Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

"Potions." Remus and Alice shuddered, whilst Sirius snickered thinking of all the exploded cauldrons over the years.

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes.**

**He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping.**

**A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad..."**

"That is quite expensive." Severus mumured, a frown on his face.

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -"**

"Ooooh…" James said hushed, his eyes going slightly glassy. Beside him Sirius grinned whilst Lily and Remus rolled their eyes.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was - "Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him.**

**The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:**

**Enter, stranger, but take heed**

**Of what awaits the sin of greed,**

**For those who take, but do not earn,**

**Must pay most dearly in their turn.**

**So if you seek beneath our floors**

**A treasure that was never yours,**

**Thief, you have been warned, beware**

**Of finding more than treasure there.**

"I can honestly say I have never read that poem." Sirius frowned, trying to remember exactly where the message was written.

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in****large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses.**

**There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."**

**"You have his key, Sir?"**

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers.**

"Ew." Narcissa said, turning her nose up slightly.

**The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.**

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.**

**The goblin looked at it closely.**

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." The goblin read the letter carefully.**

"Hagrid!" Marlene moaned.

"What?" The half giant replied.

"Lily is one nosey bugger. If Harry is anything like his mother then he will be asking questions." She replied, with a slight frown.

"Not to mention Jamie's annoying Potter genes." Sirius chipped in.

"I'm not that bad!" Lily and James exclaimed at the same time.

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!" Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors****leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

Lily and James blushed whilst Sirius, Remus, Dorcas, Alice and Marlene exchanged amused grins.

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in - Hagrid with some difficulty - and were off.**

"I hate those carts." Regulus muttered.

"Only because Sirius tried to push you out of one when you were six." Narcissa said, rolling her eyes.

"My life flashed before my eyes, Cissy!"

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible.**

"He did better than most." Marlene smiled. "Good memory for an 11 year old."

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.**

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - - they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

**"I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite."**

"Stalagmite has a 'G' in it for ground. Hence it comes from the ground, upwards. Stalacite has an 'C' in it for ceiling. Hence it comes from the ceiling, downwards." Lily receited.

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid.**

"So basically what Evans said." Sirius grinned at Lily's glare.

"My apologies." He added. "So what Hagrid said was basically what Mrs Potter said." He finished grinning as James and Lily's faces turned scarlett.

**"An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick." He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

"Ah the good old trust vault." James said in reply to the incredulous looks.

"What do you mean, 'trust vault'"? Lily asked, eyebrow raised.

"That is the vault any Potter can access before the age of 17. After they come of age they can access the other two. One filled with money, the other with priceless heirlooms and such." James smiled.

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

**All Harry's - it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. **

"No they wouldn't. They're Lily's family, not James' hence no money would go to them." Dorcas growled.

**How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.**

"How can he cost a lot? They barely feed him!" Benji exclaimed angrily.

**Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.**

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh."**

**He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

**"One speed only," said Griphook.**

"Goblins are a wee bit sadistic, ain't they?" Fabian grinned.

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.**

"Calm down Hagrid. He ain't gonna fall." Frank smiled at the groundkeeper who returned the gesture.

"Yeah, the Goblins don't like the hassle of the extra paperwork." Gideon grinned, ignoring Frank's scowl.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped****in there," said Griphook.**

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside." Harry asked.**

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

"Okies, a lot sadistic then." Fabien amended.

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly,**

"Seriously. Who let you two have a kid." Dorcas frowned at them both.

**expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least - but at first he thought it was empty.**

**Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor.**

**Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

"Whoa! Hold up a minute! A child of Lily and James didn't ask questions!?" Marlene exclaimed, amazed ignoring James and Lily's unimpressed looks.

"What is this creature you call a 'Harry' is he actually a Potter?" Sirius asked, seriously.

**"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

"Ew." Dana shuddered.

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life - more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

"Ha in your face piggy!" Bertram muttered.

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

"Don't leave the poor boy Hagrid!" Minevra exclaimed sharply.

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

**"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."**

"Oooh maybe Harry can make a new friend!" Lily exclaimed happily.

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face**

"Sorry Lils, they are not gonna be friends." Sirius said, shaking his head.

"What? Why?"

"He's a Malfoy, pureblood to the extreme."

"How do you know he's a Malfoy?" Lily asked sounding sceptical.

"I just do trust me." Siruis grinned. "Hey Cissy, if this kid is a Malfoy doesn't that make him yours."

"Yes Sirius. That is if he is a Malfoy, then it is my son." Narcissa rolled her eyes at her cousin.

**was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to****him, slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

**"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice.**

"Malfoy." Sirius stage whispered.

**"Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

"I would love to see someone bully Lucius." Severus smirked.

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

Narcissa looked offended.

**"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Harry.**

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

**"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

James hissed like a horrified cat whilst Sirius, Dorcas and the twins started to mock-sob.

**"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"**

"Malfoy." Sirius muttered again, wiping fake tears of sorrow from his eyes.

**"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

"Aww Hagrid, that's lovely of you." Alice smiled.

**"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

"Narcissa you seem shit at raising children." Regulus frowned at his cousin.

"Oh be quiet we don't even know if he is mine."

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking this boy less and less every second.**

"That's cos he's a –"

"Say Malfoy one more time Sirius and I swear to Merlin I'll hit you." Remus growled at his friend, vein throbbing in his temple.

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage - lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

"Really shit."

"Be quiet Regulus Black!"

**"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all.**

"Really, really shit."

"I'll kill you if you don't be quiet."

**"But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

"Very diplanmatic." Amelia smirked.

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you. They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding****families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

"Okay, don't be friends with the Malfoy boy Harry." Lily frowned.

**But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

**Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

Remus drooled at the thought of chocolate.

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

James flinched at the thought of his son not knowing about the sport.

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pate boy in Madam Malkin's. "-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."**

"That's just bad parenting." Sirius grinned, whilst his brother across the room smirked at their fuming cousin.

"I will kill you both."

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh.**

**Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles - look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

"Fair point, Evans is a good witch. Her sister however, is not a good muggle." Edgar frowned.

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport.**

"No, Hagrid." Dorcas smiled sweetly. "The best sport ever."

**It's like - like soccer in the Muggle world****- everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls -****sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"**

"Rubeus Hagrid!" Pomona exclaimed, amid glares from the badger house.

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily.**

"I'd love him either way." Lily smiled.

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin.**

"Hagrid! That's a completely inappropriate thing to tell an impressionable eleven year old!" Minerva frowned sternly, whilst the Slytherins plotted the half-giants death with their eyes.

**You-Know-Who was one."**

**"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

"We don't like to think about it." Horace frowned.

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all.**

**Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from****_Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-_**__**_Tying and Much, Much More)_****by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

"I'm so proud." Sirius sniffled, wiping away a tear of happiness.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

"Wouldn't hurt to be prepared." James grinned.

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

Severus and Lily had gone slightly glassy eyed at the description of one of their favourite subjects. (Lily's other being Charms and Sev's obviously being DADA)

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.**

**"Just yer wand left - yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

**Harry felt himself go red. "You don't have to -"**

"Aww, so sweet." Lily cooed.

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at**

"I have a toad Hagrid." Frank stated, face impassive.

**- an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."**

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing.**

"She sounds beautiful." Marlene smiled.

**He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

"Oooh, he's such a cutie!" Dorcas grinned.

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivander's left now - only place fer wands, Ollivander's, and yeh gotta have the best wand." A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

"Whose wands is that anyway?" Remus asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Don't know, don't really care." Remus rolled his eyes.

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

"How in the hell can he tell that?!" Evan exclaimed, interupting himself.

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

Fabian and Gideon snickered.

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

"Ollivander is still kicking them." Harvey smiled.

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow Nice wand for charm work."**

"My favourite subject, I am very fond of my wand." Lily smiled.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration.**

"I am better at Transfiguration than anything else, it's come in handy more than once."

"Oh really, how?" Lily asked intrigued.

"Err… Nevermind moving on!" James exclaimed exchanging wide-eyed looks with the other Marauders.

**Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could****see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

**"And that's where..." Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.**

**"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly.**

"That is not something you wanna advertise." Hestia frowned.

**"Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..." He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it."**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled." said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

**"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

**"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

Hagrid whistled innocently when all eyes turned to him.

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look.**

**"Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

**"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

"That is true, I tried cursing Molly once with Fabian's wand when we came of age…it did not go well. Bill does not suit pink." Gideon flinched.

"How old is Bill now?" Alice frowned.

"He's five, Bill loved it. Molly, not so much." Fabian grinned.

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave." Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.**

"I hate it when he does that." Gregoris frowned.

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try -" Harry tried - but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

**"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr.****Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"Wow, it only took three or four to find mine." Remus said, eyebrows raising.

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and****supple."**

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.**

"That's your wand Harry!" Lily exclaimed a big smile on her face.

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very****good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... " He put Harry's wand back into its****box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious…"**

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?" Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar." Harry swallowed.**

"What the actual fuck?" Sirius exclaimed.

"Why on earth would Ollivander tell him that?!" James yelled, slightly afraid for his son.

**"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."**

"That is reaaaalllly creepy." Dorcas frowned.

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"It will, you'll never really get used to the transition." Lily smiled.

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life - and yet - he****chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry - I mean, the night my parents died."**

"A fact we are very glad about!" James exclaimed.

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact."**

"Thank you Hagrid, you gave our son the best birthday he has ever had. Thank you, from the both of us." Lily smiled squeezing James' hand, tears glistening in her eyes.

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.**

**"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon, Harry."**

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"And that is the end of the chapter who would like to read next?" Evan asked the hall.

"Might as well get it over with." Bert said, at the Hufflepuff table. Evan floated the book over the badger table and to Bert's seat. Opening the book at the correct place Bert cleared his throat and began to read.

**Finished, again I thank you all for your patience with me and the messages you have all sent me. I know this chapter is long overdue. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and I hope you leave reviews for me regarding my work. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask them. I hope you have a wonderful day. **

**Love Beth**

**xxxxxxx**


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